Guardian
by 1337kitsune
Summary: Danny has only ever wanted to be normal, but instead he is now the half-ghost hero who protects his town from danger...but something strange is going on. The ancient past is coming back to haunt Danny, who has just become the new Guardian of the Ghost Zone. With his new role as Guardian Danny has to find out just what the Ghost Zone is hiding, and before it's too late...
1. Average Everyday Superhero

**I swear I don't mean to edit so much...it's just really hard to resist sometimes. XD So after NaNoWriMo ended (No, I did not win. I didn't finish...like usual...*sigh*) I got sucked back into World of WarCraft. Between those two things, and Real Life, I never had time to work on it. Now I'm bored, hungry, tired, and feel guilty. The perfect combination on which to write!**

**Haha!**

**Now. Not much to say from last time. Simply _WATCH THIS! _**

_**youtube dot com/watch?v = aSuXg9o8qTE & feature= channel&list =UL**_

**x Alright. Now you can read. XD WAIT! I LIED! You need to go to this link and listen while you read!**

**youtuberepeater com/watch? v= -vjZQZKVdUM**

Oh, hey, look! A new, why is my font so...faded... Okay there, that's better. Now where was I...oh hey look, a new story! For those of you who have read/are reading my current stuff...don't kill me. I'm working on what to do with A Child's Mind and I'm re-doing all of Alien to Human, almost have it done in fact. But then, now here me out.

I found this awesome DP story while going through my favorites, right? I re-read it, and oh my god it was brilliant. Choppy at places, but brilliant. It had been a year so I asked if I could take over and finish/re-do it for them. They said yes! So, this is Guardian! Hopefully Quetzalcoatls likes it, because it took me forever to make this what with my distracted mind...

Disclaimer: I do not own the original idea for Guardian. That right and honor goes to Quetzalcoatls. I do have permission to re-do it though! And I don't own Danny Phantom either...if I did it wouldn't have been cancelled...and things would have gotten creepy. So maybe it's a good thing Butch Hartman owns/owned it.

Stupid Nick...

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**Chapter One**

**x**

Originally written and created by the author known as Quetzalcoatls, an amazing person who is extremely awesome and epic. Go read her stuff. I'm serious. Go read it. Now. You can always come back.

**Que is now helping to write this story, she is that awesome. Go praise her. She is amazing at plotlines and destinations... *giggle* You'll see.**

X

"Will this torture never cease to end..." Immediately after the words had been spoken a mocha-skinned teen groaned and banged his head on his desk, for the fifth or sixth time, and looked as if the worst thing that could possibly happen to him had just indeed happened. Instead of the room bursting into flames like one would expect however the only reaction had been the goth-girl behind him rolling her eyes and looking annoyed.

"Honestly Tucker, you act like the world is ending every time we have English. It also wouldn't be that bad if you would actually _read _the material." The mocha boy's head had snapped up, shocked at even hearing the _suggestion_ of actually reading something that still used _paper._ How primitive.

"You do sorta overreact Tuck," the boy that sat beside him grinned, looking exhausted yet amused at the same time. The slightly pale-skinned boy was also collapsed on his desk, but his case was due more to being drop-dead tired than being bored. Tucker just scoffed before looking back towards their teacher again, who was still lecturing.

"You always take Sam's side...I wonder why that is...huh, Danny?"

"Tuck, shut up," Danny half-grinned while also trying to sit up and pay attention to the lecture, on something he had no clue about, only to slide right back down to his desk. Both friends raised an eye at the action before sharing the _look_. The look Danny had taken to mean that they would be cornering him after school and demanding to know what was wrong with him. Joy.

"And so, as you can see, Shakespeare often used many different _telling_ elements in his plays-" Whatever Mr. Lancer had been about to say next was abruptly cut off by the sound of the bell ringing, quite loudly and annoyingly. The teacher scowled before muttering under his breath and setting his still open book back on the desk. The first few students had almost made it out the door, _almost_. "Don't forget tonight's homework! Two-page essay on the use of the many themes and elements used in a Shakespeare play of your choosing. Due Friday."

As the trio of friends stood up the whole class seemed to share a groan before shuffling out the door, slightly more depressed than they had been only a few seconds ago. Sam just shook her head at the drama, wondering if she really was the only one who actually read the material they talked about in class, well, besides the honor roll and teacher's pet kids. If her friends were anything to go by then she absolutely was.

"So, what are we doing today?" Tucker asked while moving a few things around on his PDA, the trio shouldering their bags and walking down the school steps. The teen had by now perfected the art of walking without looking where he was going, which made a lot of the bookworms envious since they still tripped in the hallways when trying to read. "Arcade? Mall? Movies? The- Whoa, dude, are you okay?" Tucker had cut himself on upon hearing Danny's sudden, and loud, hiss of pain.

"Yeah, just a sore back is all, which doesn't really make any sense..." Danny muttered, rubbing his shoulders where most of the pain was centered at. Sam raised an eyebrow before reducing her speed and walking behind Danny, glancing down at his back with a curious look. "Uh, Sam? What are you doing?"

"Testing something."

"And that would be..." At the lack of answer, as he had somewhat predicted, Danny was about to try again. He had barely opened his mouth before he let out a yelp of pain and jumped away from Sam, who was looking even more worried than before.

"I'm no expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to _scream_ when someone barely touches your back..." Tucker nodded in agreement while Danny frowned at his friends. Half because he didn't enjoy being suddenly poked and then experiencing blinding, searing pain, and half because he hated seeing them worry. His sister seemed to think it was something to do with what everyone called his hero-complex. Which he _did not have_!

"First of all, it wasn't a scream, it was a..."

"Yelp?" Sam offered while Tucker snickered behind his PDA. Danny frowned once more, looking even more annoyed at the suggestion of it being as something as wimpy as a yelp.

"No, it was not a yelp. It was a sound of mild pain-"

"Oh, so you mean like a whimper?" At this point Tucker was trying not to crack up with laughter, if only for his friend's sake. That and he didn't want to get beaten up by Sam for laughing at Danny's pain. Again.

"It was not a whimper! Or a yelp! It was a mild sound of pain that was unable to be repressed!" Both teens looked skeptic at the explanation while the other just plowed on, as if afraid of being interrupted again, "And second, it really isn't that bad. Sam's touch was just a reaction that comes from fighting ghosts for two years." Technically it was only a few weeks from being three, but Danny wasn't really keeping track. He had stopped after the first few months.

"Okay, first, I know how you react to random ghost attacks, and yelping in pain is not it." Danny glared as Tucker looked up from his PDA again to fix his best friend with another look he knew well. It was the one that meant _you-aren't-telling-us-something-and-we're-gonna-find-out-what-it-is_. "Second, you're not fine. From that _mild sound of pain_ it sounds like you've done something to mess your whole back up."

Sam watched with slight amusement as both boys preceded to have a glare-off. It looked like neither one of them would crack for some time. Usually these glares ended in one of them smiling, and then both cracking up, but this was a _I'm-fine-uh-no-you're-not _glare off. Which tended to last much longer. And considering that she didn't want to be stuck with two glaring boys, she decided to break it up with a loud cough.

"What we were _saying_," Sam stressed, the two boys looking towards her, "is that you should have someone look at it. It could be something serious! I mean...how many times have you been thrown into walls or floors or the _street _due to a ghost attack?" Sam had meant that to be a hypothetical question, and as such almost laughed when Danny held out his hands and started laying fingers down as he muttered under his breath.

"I'm not really sure..." At this the other two teens both raised an eyebrow, which Danny just ignored, "I think I lost count after the thirtieth time it happened...or was it the forty-second..." Gone where the eyebrow raises and left in their place was a shocked looking Sam and Tucker. Partly at how many times Danny had been thrown into something and the other part because of how nonchalant Danny was about _how many times_ he had been thrown.

Although...after two years of hunting ghosts...he was bound to get used to the flying into stuff eventually.

"Still...I think you should at least tell Jazz about this..." Sam muttered while watching Danny, who had gone completely still and even paler than normal before looking up at her incredulously. "She might be able to help you! At the very least she could make sure nothing is seriously wrong with-

"You're kidding...tell me you're kidding. Sam, really? Tell Jazz?! All that would happen from me telling Jazz is her freaking out and making it a bigger problem than it already is and being more paranoid and over-protective over me than she already is! And that's saying something, considering she's one of the most paranoid and over-protective people on the _planet_! And yes. Ghost Zone included."

"Aha!" Tucker shouted, causing both teens to look over at him in slight confusion, "So there _is _a problem!" Sam grinned and shared a quick high-five with a smug Tucker, all while Danny looked furious at himself for his slip-up in wording. Maybe he should pay more attention in English...or at least Drama.

"Guys, I'm fine! Okay? It's just a sore back is all, I probably sprained a muscle or something. I'm sure I'll be better in a week or so, a few days if my speed healing actually works on these types of wounds. Or whatever it is." Danny, who could never explain things more than a sentence long without using his hands, was now waving them up and down to make his point.

Of course sometime during his explanation of him being perfectly fine and healthy he had winced at the pain he felt in his back, which was getting worse as the days went by. It also seemed to be spreading from the shoulders to the rest of the back. Sam seemed to notice the slight flinch Danny had tried to hide and she zoned in on it like a trained hound.

"Yet you wince and flinch every single time you move. How is that _not that bad_ exactly?" Danny looked frustrated while mentally wracking his brains for a good excuse to satisfy his friends. He knew they didn't exactly believe him when he told them he was fine. Mostly because he never was but that was beside the point.

"Listen, guys, I'm sure you probably won't believe me no matter what I say but I'm _fine_. It's a sore back, it's not like I have a broken arm or something!" Danny tried to explain, waving his hands again without trying to flinch. He was sure Sam saw it anyways. She always noticed when he was in pain.

"No way Danny. You're hurt and we're either gonna get you to a doctor or to Jazz. At this point they're one in the same..." Sam muttered the last part, Danny snorting in agreement. His sister certainly had enough practice of being a doctor from how often she had to bandage his wounds up.

Still. He didn't want sit there and have Jazz worry when there was _nothing wrong with him_. He had to get out of here but- A sudden grin overtook his features, one that would have made Vlad proud, although, right now it was making Sam and Tucker looking half-confused and half-worried. That look never meant good things for them.

"I could sit here all day and argue with you about _nonexistent_ back issues, as much fun as that sounds...or...I could just leave..." Danny grinned even wider, and slightly eviler, "Since I have a bag full of overdue homework that needs doing and all..." he added as an afterthought. Sam always did soften when his homework was mentioned.

Of course right now she was frowning and looking just as stubborn as Danny was about him not having back pain.

"Oh? And just how do you plan on doing that? You're not leaving till you agree to either go to a doctor or talk to Jazz! Tucker! Get behind him!" Tucker raised an eyebrow at the command while just shaking his head and doing as he was told. Sam Manson may have had her power trips every now and then, but she was the _last_ person you wanted angry at you.

"How do I plan on getting away? Well, I sorta thought...like this..." Danny grinned even wider than ever before he suddenly...wasn't there. The two remaining teens looked shocked before Sam made a noise of vast frustration, Tucker trying to hold back his laugh in front of her. All that was left of the raven-haired teen was a ghostly chuckle and an autumn chill not suited for the warm spring weather they were having.

"I didn't think he could go invisible while he was human..." Tucker pondered while looking back down at his PDA, adding the information to the list of his friend's ghostly abilities. He might have to make a new one what with how long this one was getting, that and there were post-notes and little bullet points everywhere. He was actually surprised he could still read it.

"Hey, Tucker?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

A few feet away, at the entrance to the alley he had ducked into, Danny shook his head while laughing at his friend's bickering. He finally faded back into the tangible spectrum once the two started walking back down the sidewalk, heading towards the direction of the Nasty Burger. He guessed that they had figured they wouldn't have been able to find him and had just given up.

"Operation Escape is now a success," Danny grinned while chuckling under his breath. A moment later a glowing white ring, with a strange greenish tint that he frowned at, appeared around his waist. The ring separated into two before each went a separate direction. As the rings moved the teen himself started to change. Gone were the everyday clothes and in it's place was a black hazmat suit with white gloves, boots, collar and glowing DP symbol.

Nerdy and weak Danny Fenton had just changed into the strong hero Danny Phantom.

"I wonder what the green glow was about," Danny muttered to himself as he kicked off the ground and shot into the air like a bullet, letting loose and flying as fast as he could straight up. It only took a few seconds for him to be high enough to see most of the city as he floated among the clouds. He grinned and did a quick loop before realizing that his back didn't really hurt that bad anymore. "Huh...wonder what that's about. Speed-healing or just ghost thing...

"Why is the ghost world so much more complicated..." Danny ranted under his breath while going invisible and flying towards his house, not feeling like dealing with the news media and helicopters as he flew. He noticed the white energy that seemed to always surround him as Phantom seemed stronger than normal and...greener... "What is with the green...is that just a theme in ghost world or what..."

He always seemed to rant when flying home. Usually it was about ghosts, which made him groan when he first noticed since he was now even more like his parents than before.

Shaking his head he concentrated on flying home, thinking about how his life was so much simpler in the human realm. Easier? No. But simple. He fought ghosts, lied and avoided his parents, and failed school. Simple. Somewhat. Ghost world/realm/zone/whatever-the-hell-it-was was not so simple. Case in point: ice powers. That had nearly driven him insane what with all the confusion and worry he had gone through to get them.

The only thing he really had to worry about, more than most things anyways, was if his parents ever found out he was Danny _Phantom _as well as Fenton. By now he had honestly thought of almost every possible scenario, even asking Clockwork for a few. Not to mention he had two, almost three now that he thought about it, years to ponder those scenarios. Not many of them were very promising. Ghosts had an obsession. Each one was different and each one consumed their entire life and left room for little else.

Ghost-_hunting _was his parent's obsession. Similar to Skulker yet only far more deadly.

His parents may not have been ghosts but they were far scarier than Skulker, part of it being where their obsession was even larger than his, the other part of it being that he could fight back if Skulker fought him, and win. With his parents though...he couldn't _actually _hurt them. At all. Well he _could_ but he never would. And it was _not _because of his hero-complex thank you very much.

"Wonder if they ever _would_ except Phantom..." Danny muttered to himself while absently ducking through alleyways and rounding mostly abandoned corners. Years of ghost patrol had him flying around the most random of places. After thinking for a few more seconds he snorted. The chance of them excepting Phantom were...well...slim. They loved Fenton, with all their hearts, as most parents did. Phantom though...

For almost three years they had been wanting to tear Danny Phantom apart molecule-by-molecule.

Danny may not have been a scientist like his parents, or a genius like his sister, but he was pretty sure being torn apart on a cellular level would hurt. A lot. Although he did sometimes wonder what would happen to him if Phantom was destroyed. Would he go back to being a normal human? And vice-versa. Would he _cross over _or would he just stay behind as a ghost, forever.

"Hopefully I won't have to think about this for a long time," Danny muttered as he rolled his eyes, "Spending an eternity fighting with Skulker and listening to Clockwork's cryptic remarks sounds pretty hellish. No. More important is the fact I have a bag full of homework which I have no clue what to do about." Which was true. With his sister now off to college his personal tutor had abandoned him.

Which meant a D+...optimistically.

X

Watching the boy mutter under his breath about grades and homework an elderly ghost showed a hint of a smile. His long purple cloak trailed the ground as he watched Danny Phantom shake off his thoughts and pull off a couple of loops through the air, looking happier now that he was off the ground. The ghost's grin seemed to fade a little at how unfair fate had been to the boy, who had been so young when he had gotten his powers.

Every young boy made mistakes, it was the way the world worked, but Danny Phantom's mistakes usually had much more dangerous consequences. Really, how many kids could say that if they had cheated on a test the world would have, essentially, ended. The ghost believed it wasn't something any child should deal with, but the best he could do was try to help the teen along. Danny Phantom was a special person, especially to him.

After all, the only way a ghost portal could ever give you _ghost powers _was if there had been a ghost standing in the exact spot the portal would have opened, otherwise the only thing to happen would have been a couple million volts through the body. Really, the chances of getting ghost powers were a million to one, especially since the ghost would have had to have been standing in the _exact _spot at the _exact _time. And the only way that could happen was if you could see the future.

More specifically that could only happen if you were someone like Clockwork.

And even then he was the only ghost it actually might have worked with. The boy's initial powers had been a reflection of the ghost's, as was the influence of what he did with those powers. Clockwork supposed that his duty of protecting the time-line is what kick-started Danny's hero-complex. Although to be fair, there were several futures where he _wasn't _a ghost and he _still _had that complex.

The best part about being the reason Danny had gotten his powers was because it gave him free reign to interfere in the teen's life, mostly due to the fact that after the incident Danny _Phantom _was technically his son. According to his logic anyways, which no one ever argued with, and even the Observants couldn't find anything wrong with it. Try as hard as they might.

Thinking of the Observants...they should be stopping by in two hours, twenty-one minutes and seventeen seconds to rant about something else that he has done wrong. They never did like him. Clockwork, now in the form of a child, waved his staff before turning back towards the large viewing screen, seeing Danny edge around an alleyway and look at his house, eying it like it was about to attack him. Which, to be fair, it usually did.

After a few more minutes of eying the house the boy must have decided getting shot at wasn't worth skipping a trip up the stairs since he called forth the white, now slightly greener than before, rings and changed back to Fenton. Clockwork watched as Danny staggered, clutching the wall as the pain in his back returned full force. From his reaction it looked as if it had felt like someone had shot his back with some kind of shotgun.

The now adult Clockwork frowned as he watched Danny stagger towards the step, fumbling with his house key before he managed to get the door open. The ghost knew that the pain would only get worse from here...but it was for the best, since this course of the future seemed the only way things turned out slightly good for him.

Most futures had him dead or evil, which was not something Clockwork wanted to see. One even had him locked away in an asylum, which had been slightly disconcerting on Clockwork's part. His favorite alternate path, if only to view for a chuckle every now and then, had him proposing to Vladimir of all people.

Of course Clockwork would never tell anyone this and take the secret to his after after-life. Besides, he was pretty sure Danny would have a nervous breakdown if the news somehow _did _get back to him.

X

Danny grunted as he finally fell face down on his bed, sighing in relief when his back stopped feeling like it was about to rip open. It still hurt like hell, but at least now that he had made it past the stairs it didn't feel like something trying to pop out of him. Which hurt. A lot.

The teen was right on the edge of sleep when a breeze from his open window blew something straight in his face. Grumbling and shifting around a little Danny grabbed it before raising an eyebrow at the innocent looking post-it note. "'Trust your instincts and you'll be fine.' What the he- 'Clockwork'..." Danny let out a huge sigh, his bangs flying up with the force. Of course things could never be simple with the Master of Time...

Huh...who knew said Master of All Time and Reality used post-it notes...

Shaking his head he barely raised up, just enough to toss the note back onto his dresser, before collapsing back onto the bed, this time his head landing on the pillow. He sighed in relief since his back pain had now tampered off to a dull ache. Whatever was going on with him hurt a lot more than he had let the others know. Maybe he should tell Jazz, or someone at least, about it...

Danny was on the edge of sleep when he noticed for some reason his skin has this odd glow...almost like when he was Phantom, only much, much weaker...

X

"What time is it..." Danny muttered under his breath, shaking his head and looking over at the clock. It was almost midnight by the looks of it, he was having a hard time making out the numbers where his eyes were still half-closed. It was either one-seventy-three in the morning or eleven-fifty-eight at night. He was more inclined to go with the later.

He wondered what had woken him up, since he had been sound asleep, something he still marveled at from time-to-time. Ghost attacks, and lack of sleep, were very common to him. Shaking his head he tried to go back to sleep, only to jump up as soon as the clock struck midnight exactly.

"HOLY HE-" Danny's own scream cut him off, barely able to think through the pain that was exploding from his back. It felt like his bones were rearranging and his skin was being torn off all at the same time, and holy _hell _that stung!

Muttering some curses under his breath Danny staggered up, biting back another and scream of pain as he moved towards the bathroom. He was so thankful that his parents were deep sleepers. Well, his dad was. His mom slept with earplugs just so she could sleep through her husband's snoring.

"This is so not normal back pain," Danny muttered as he kicked the door open and finally came to a stop in front of the mirror, only to wish he hadn't. He looked half-dead, pun _not _intended for once. He had dark, heavy circles under his eyes and his hair looked frayed and worn at the ends for some reason, as if it was _dying_. His skin also looked a pale sickly color that Danny did not like the looks up. "What...the hell..."

Squinting in the mirror he finally noticed the green glow that had been with him most of the day. It wasn't steady like Phantom's white glow, it was more..._pulsing_. Stronger, then weaker, then really stronger, then really weaker, then repeat. It was...well, to be honest, it was strange as hell.

"Okay, Sam might have been right. Maybe I do need help..." Another spike of pain cut off any more thoughts, his knees giving out and sending him crashing to the floor. He almost drew blood while biting his tongue to keep the screams from leaving him. A sudden urge to change into his ghost side filled him, and considering he was actually crying in pain now he would rather not second guess his instincts any more for the night.

"God...what is happening to me..." Danny groaned to himself as his now white hair fell over his eyes. He noticed that instead of Phantom's usual white glow it was now a ghostly green, which slightly worried him. He had thought that maybe it was a new power, but ruled that out considering the fact of all the _pain_ that was _tearing him apart molecule-by-molecule_.

Gathering together what little strength he had he managed to struggle to his feet, almost collapsing against the wall so he could stay upright. The pain was still intense but now it was slightly more manageable. At least enough to where he could get back to his room. Maybe it would go away if he just slept it off, not like there was much else he could do...

He had made it halfway down the hall before the pain came back, this time instead of his back hurting the pain was coming off in _waves_. It all seemed to be radiating from his core, which simply confirmed the fact that this was _definitely _a ghost issue and not a human one. Maybe it was a ghost virus or something, he wouldn't put it past Skulker to put something like that in him.

"Why is this happening...ugh forget why. What the hell _is _happening?" Danny moaned under his breath before opening his eyes, figuring he would make another attempt at _crawling _back to his bed. He was therefore surprised when he saw he was in his basement, which also happened to be the Fenton Lab. And where the Ghost Portal was kept.

"Trust my instincts...huh... Sometimes you're just too vague, Clockwork," Danny slightly grinned while staggering towards the portal, entering the password and watching the doors whoosh open. Clockwork had told him to trust his instincts, and right now they were saying to go into the Ghost Zone. Now.

And Clockwork never gave worthless advice.

"Well...here goes nothing," Danny muttered, biting back another scream of pain as he jumped into the swirling green portal in front of him. Clockwork had _never _led him wrong before, and Danny was positive that the ghost wasn't about to start now. Whatever this pain was and exactly what it was doing to him...

He would find his answers in the Ghost Zone.

Darkness of white  
You can through the sadness take your flight  
And become the wings  
That pierce the veil  
Spreading strong and true tonight.

(True light,White night)

(DNAngel)

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*cough* So...opinions? Good, bad, ugly, sad, terrible. Hey...I have more confidence in my writing than that! I think... Tell me what you think!


	2. Shooting Star

**I edit. I edit it a lot. _Everyday I'm Edit-ing. _Sorry. I bet you've heard that joke so much you're sick of it. XD Anyways, I changed the chapter title to a song that actually makes sense...okay, so Que chose the song...she always does...mostly because my choices suck...**

**Anyways. Here's your song link, go enjoy my madness. It's been long enough that you've probably forgotten what's happened...and I might have added a few things...**

**Yes. This is my attempt to get you all to read more. *cackles***

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=K7KMRBoqQUg**

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Woo, okay then, chapter 2! My quickest update time yet if I do say so myself. And I just wanna say...you all are so awesome. So many favs and alerts and reviews, it makes me so happy! Okay, so, this is around eight pages in OpenOffice. Size 10 font. I'm very sorry for all the reading your are in store for. They just wouldn't shut up! ARGH!

I still had fun though! XD Thanks for all the lovely reviews, and I hope you keep enjoying this! Oh, the link in the middle is a picture of what Danny looks like now. So go ahead and go view it real quick. It was drawn by the original author, GIVE HER PRAISE! *ahem* So...enjoy!

Disclaimer : I think that the word _disclaimer _says it all, don't you? Now, enjoy! ...Why did I hear the Box Ghost...

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**Chapter Two**

**X**

Danny couldn't help as he staggered in mid-flight, hissing at the pain that was coming off his core in quicker and longer-lasting waves. "Hah...wonder if _this _is what it's like...being torn apart..._molecule-by-molecule_..." It sure felt like it. The pain spiked at it's highest yet before he finally let out the scream he had been holding in since he had first entered the Zone.

He was pretty sure every ghost that _had _been in the vicinity was now gone.

"That...was not fun..." Danny muttered under his breath while struggling to sit up upon seeing he had crashed into one of the floating rocks of the Ghost Zone. He wondered when he had fallen and figured it must have been during the time he was screaming his head off in pain. Shaking his head he managed to stand up for a few short seconds until he crashed back into the rock, not even making it into the air.

"Okay, okay! Sam was right! I admit it, just make the pain stop!" He wasn't even sure who he was begging anymore, whether it be Fate, Clockwork or the god of the Ghost Zone. He just knew that he wanted the pain to _stop_. He could hardly even feel his limbs anymore and he vaguely wondered just what happened when a ghost _died_. If that was even possible...

Another scream broke off his thoughts, this time his whole skin feeling like it was on fire, not to mention it still felt like something was trying to crawl out of his back. After a few more moments, which felt like hours, the pain subsided enough to where he could stagger to his feet, this time looking determined.

"Gotta...get help..." His first thought was Clockwork, but he was pretty far away from the tower... Maybe he could get to Dora's or something. Even Frostbite would be helpful at this point! He just had to figure out where he was, which was easier said than done when he could barely even concentrate on standing.

"Maybe I can just fly around...then I'll recognize _something_..." It was a testament to how weak he was that he didn't even notice his back was bleeding streams of ectoplasmic blood. Even if he _did _notice he was too weak to really care about it. All he could think at the moment was that he had to get _somewhere_. Preferably somewhere _safe._

X

Hearing a sharp and sudden scream filled with pain the resident bookworm of the Ghost Zone jerked up from his thoughts about his latest novel. He was just getting back from visiting Technus, who had helped him with a part about technology in his book. It had been worth the visit to fix his chapter, even if he _did _have to deal with all the monologuing that ghost was capable of... Shaking his head he looked around, wondering just _what _had made the scream.

"Huh...Phantom? What's he doing out here?" Ghostwriter mumbled to himself while looking at the staggering Phantom, who didn't look too good. He and the kid had patched things up about a year ago, after he had gotten out of jail. Apparently the kid _was _sorry about the Christmas poem fiasco. He was also kinda fun to be around, even if it was mostly because he needed help on his English homework, although they did discuss Po and other Sci-fy stories a lot. "Wow...he looks like he just finished a few rounds with Behemoth..."

He watched the ghost stagger in air and drop a few feet before frowning and making his mind up to go over and see if he could help. The kid had probably fought a ghost and ended up getting more hurt than he realized. Ghostwriter was about to fly towards him before he saw something that scared him. Badly. He was pretty sure he would be having a heart attack if he had still been alive.

Danny Phantom had just _f__aded_.

He hadn't completely faded, not yet at least, but he had still been gone for a few short seconds, and not the invisible or intangible kind of fading either... Ghostwriter starred in horror for a few more seconds before finally snapping out of his daze and rushing over towards the boy. Fading was a far worse fate than being dead or destroyed. If you were dead you, sometimes, became a ghost. If you were destroyed as a ghost your soul still went on, but if you faded...

If you faded you were just gone...

"PHANTOM!" There were very few ghosts out there that deserved to just fade out, and as far as Ghostwriter would ever be concerned, Danny Phantom was _not _one of them. Ghostwriter finally reached him as the boy shakily looked up, looking slightly confused, and very tired.

"Ghostwriter... Hey...some day, huh?" Danny smirked, looking as if he was about to pass out. He quickly started to plummet down again before Ghostwriter reached out and gently caught him, making sure to avoid the back that looked like it was _gushing _blood. What the hell had happened to him?

"What the hell happened to you?" Ghostwriter bit out sharply, half-rhetorical and half-demanding. Danny looked up at him confused for a few seconds before looking puzzled and shaking his head back and forth, as if he was still trying to figure out the answer himself.

"Beats me. I was fine, earlier. Just a little back pain..." A sudden shudder wracked his body, the fading come back for a split second and causing Ghostwriter to almost lose his hold. As soon as the boy stopped fading Ghostwriter clung on to him even tighter. "Ugh...why is this hurting so much..." Danny muttered, Ghostwriter seeing that the boy was actually _crying_, which he had never seen or even _heard _about the boy doing.

Ghostwriter stared down at him, wondering if he should tell the boy he had been fading. Less than a second later he decided against it, it was best not to scare him more than he already was. "No clue, but you _are _coming with me," Ghostwriter said in his best authoritative voice before adjusting his hold on the younger one and hauling him towards the library. Danny didn't even get a chance to argue as he was, albeit gently, shoved along.

X

Clockwork let a small smile show, relieved that everything had turned out alright and Danny had followed his instructions. Ghostwriter, or Andrew as very few knew him by, would never harm Danny. That and he was one of the few ghosts that would realize what was happening to Danny, once all of the changes had finished of course.

Clockwork just hoped that the changes finished before the boy really did fade out... He could only do so much, and not even this time could he interfere. No...it was all up to chance now. Danny Phantom would either become stronger than ever before, even stronger than his evil alternate self...

Or he would fade away...

X

"Geez...you're pretty heavy for a skinny little kid," Ghostwriter grumbled, dragging Danny up the stairs to the library as the doors opened of their own accord. Really the boy wasn't that heavy, he was just trying to break the silence and give the kid something to concentrate on other than all the pain he was going through. He had already faded twice, even though he was probably too out of it to really realize.

"Am not," Danny groaned, trying to hold back his screams of pain. He would rather not scream right in Ghostwriter's ear after he had been so nice as to drag him to the library. "Why does...does everyone say that...m'not heavy..."

"Sure you're not," Ghostwriter absently mumbled while flying through the shelves of books and finally laying the boy down on a couch near the back of the library. It took a few frantic minutes of rummaging around the general area before he managed to find a blanket he could toss over the boy, who was still shivering. "You're just pudgy."

"Jerk," Danny slightly grinned before his face tensed back up as another wave of pain rolled through him. He was trying to curl into a ball but Ghostwriter stopped him and rolled him onto his stomach.

"What the hell did you do to your back..." he muttered under his breath, sounding both horrified and amazed as Danny made a small noise of pain as the older ghost barely touched the skin. "Your suit is soaked with blood..."

"S'what?" Danny slurred, looking half-asleep and half-delirious. Mostly likely it was from not only being drop-dead tired but also having to go through all this pain. Ghostwriter just shook his head before slightly pushing the boy's bangs back, which seemed to calm him down and relax him a little.

"Alright, stay still and try not to move around too much," Ghostwriter instructed while folding the blanket back to where it only covered his legs and lower waist. "And this might hurt a bit," he added as an afterthought. Danny was about to ask just _what _would hurt before he was slightly raised up so Ghostwriter could get to the zipper on his hazmat suit. The pain that accompanied had him biting his tongue so he didn't end up screaming, although a few noises of pain must have slipped out since Ghostwriter winced and looked both apologetic and worried. "You okay?"

"My back is bleeding...and it feels like...ngh..._something_...is trying to crawl out," Danny panted out harshly, clutching the couch's fabric with his fists. "Does _that _answer your question?" Ghostwriter blinked before trying not to laugh, although a chuckle did escape him. He saw Danny's eyes flicker up at him in question, looking curious.

"Well, since your use of sarcasm is still there I suppose things could always be worse. So yes, that does answer my question." Ghostwriter noticed that Danny's hands were still clinching the fabric but he now had a small smile on his face. "Alright, this might _also _hurt a bit."

Ghostwriter worked quickly to remove the boys arms from the suit so he could pull it back. He was surprised when he managed to get the left sleeve off and saw some sort of scars on the teen's left hand. "What are those..." Ghostwriter muttered under his breath while looking down at the hand. There was a large circle in the middle of his palm with his normal skin color and then there were strange scars that wrapped all the way up his arm. He just knew he had seen marks like this before somewhere.

Technus! That was were! Technus had scars just like those on his arms! If he remembered correctly then it had come from...from being electrocuted... Danny must have noticed the Ghostwriter's look since he smirked, in a slightly dark way, before offering an explanation. "You know the Ghost Portal?" At the nod he continued, it wasn't often he got to tell his story, and it wasn't often that he wanted to either. Pain seemed to make him slightly delirious though.

"I was fourteen when my parents built it. They plugged it in, but it didn't work... Sam wanted a picture, of me standing in front of it with my hazmat suit on... I walked inside to check it out, and there was a button..." Ghostwriter seemed to grimace, that explained the circle of regular colored skin... He really didn't need to hear any more since from that sentence alone he knew what came next. He was a writer after all, it was his job to know how a story turned out. Even the dark ones.

"I pressed the stupid button... I became half-human...but I also became half-_ghost_. So now I'm only half-alive..." Danny looked up at him, dark humor in his eyes. Ghostwriter suddenly understood what Danny was trying to say, and he felt sick to his stomach because of it. "I'm half-alive..."

"But you're also half-dead..."

Not many ghosts bothered to realize that to have become half-ghost the boy would have had to essentially die. Or at least, half-way die. Shaking his head Ghostwriter continued to pull the suit back, careful of the places that were sticking to the skin. He could think about this new information later, right now he had a fading ghost teen super-hero to take care of.

He quickly tied the arms of the suit around the boy's waist, to keep the upper part out-of-the-way, before grabbing a cloth and some water. He hurried back to see that Danny was on the edge of sleep and was barely keeping himself awake. "Astronauts don't fly...it's the aliens..." Raising an eyebrow Ghostwriter shook his head before bending down and wiping most of the blood away. It looked like it had stopped bleeding by now, which was a relief. His relief soon vanished however when he saw just what had caused the bleeding.

There were six perfect circles on the boy's back. Three on each side of the spinal cord. The largest, about the size of his palm, sat just below his shoulder blades while the smallest, which was a quarter the size of the largest, sat just above his hips. Each circle looked roughly a few inches, six at the most, apart. The strangest part was that the circles were, well, flawless. They were perfect circles, nothing you could have gotten from a fight.

You would have needed to be stabbed by a cookie cutter.

"What in the world..." Ghostwriter muttered under his breath, watching as Danny's breath slightly evened out as he finally started to quiet down. He brushed against a strange bump that was in the center of one of the circles, not expecting the piece of skin that came off. He was startled enough to fall backwards and hit the floor with a thump. He watched as the piece of skin floated in the air for a few seconds before evaporating into a greenish mist and dissipating. "Strange things always seem to happen to you, Phantom..."

"Tell me about it," the boy muttered, not even bothering to open his eyes now. The pain was still wracking his body but at least it wasn't as bad as before when he had been screaming and crying. And unknowingly fading. "S'not fair..."

"Life often isn't," Ghostwriter muttered sadly before shaking his head and patting the teen's bangs again, who instantly gave in against the motion and finally fell into a fitful sleep. "What's that..." The elder ghost got back on his knees to look at a slightly glimmering red dot that was in the circle where the skin had come off. The closer he looked the more it looked like...crystal...

Grabbing the wet cloth he had used earlier to clean the blood, he gently rubbed away the peeling skin off the rest of the circles. Every circle showed the same thing. Red crystal that seemed slightly raised above the skin, as if they were odd bumps. "What in the world..." the ghost muttered while gently tapping one of the crystals, checking Danny's face to see if he had felt it. Considering the teen was still dead asleep he figured not.

A few more taps and he was positive it really was crystal, which made no sense whatsoever. He just knew he had read something about this before...or at least had heard about it... Something similar...if only he could remember _what_! Standing up he quickly pulled the blanket back over the sleeping teen, heading towards the very, very back of the library. Whatever this was it was sure to be found in the older books. This wasn't a random injury, that he was sure of.

X

"Where...where am I?" Danny muttered, looking around to see that there was nothing there but him and an empty blackness. He could see himself, just not anything else. He was also standing, although he hadn't quite figured out how yet. "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

_"Boo." _Danny jumped at the sudden voice, letting out a squeak he would later deny, before whirling around to see that nothing was actually behind him, ghost or otherwise. _"Oh wow, kind of a jumpy one, aren't you? You are probably the first ghost I've met who's actually been spooked by the word _Boo_..."_

"Who are you? What do you want?!" Danny shouted, his fists automatically lighting up with his ecto-energy out of ghost-hunting habit. The voice that seemed to echo and surround him just scoffed, sounding amused at the fact he was planning on fighting back.

_"Oh please...do you really think you would be able to do anything about a floating, disembodied voice?"_At the slightly rhetorical question Danny just blinked before smirking, lowering his fists, and ceasing the energy.

"I guess not...you still haven't said why you're here though..." Danny voiced, looking in the general direction of where the voice seemed to be coming from, although it was hard to tell with the echo. He thought he saw a small flash of yellow, but whatever it had been was gone just as quickly as it had arrived. "And where here _is _exactly..." Danny muttered the last part, looking around to see he was still in complete blackness. He couldn't even tell if he was in a room, he was just...there...

_"Well I _could_, but that wouldn't be very fun now, would it?"_

_"Oh for heaven's sake girl! Just tell the boy what he needs to know!" _Danny jumped at the sound of an additional voice, this one sounding deeper and more powerful. And much more serious.

_"Oh come on, I haven't had a chance to have fun in centuries! At least let me tease him a little! If you're so antsy about this you should be telling him anyways-"_

_"You know as well as I the rules. I am not allowed to reveal information to the potentials!"_

_"Yeah yeah, I know...which is why you have the others do it for you," _the voice grumbled the last part, sounding annoyed and very much like Sam would when she was trying to reason with him or Tucker. _"Alright halfa listen up, why is he a halfa anyways? Shouldn't his choosing have waited until he was...you know..." _Danny rolled his eyes, wondering if they really had to talk about him _dying _in front of him...or around him at least.

_"You've been stuck in that tree for far too long!" _the deeper voice growled, sounding more faded than before, as if he was getting further away._"Do you not pay attention to anything that's been going on for the past thousands of years?!"_

_"It's a little hard to pay attention when, oh, I don't know... YOUR POWERS ARE SEALED IN A DAMN TREE!" _Danny slowly started backing away from where he thought the two were coming from while wondering how the hell he had gotten into a fight with two bodiless voices. What was really sad though is that this wasn't even the strangest thing to happen to him...it actually rated pretty low.

_"Oh don't start with me girl! You-" _At the abrupt silence Danny raised an eyebrow, sensing that it was just him and the first voice now. How he knew that he had no idea, only that he did.

_"Well! Now that he's gone and time is running up...I guess I had better tell you quickly..." _the voice trailed off, sounding disappointed that her fun was being cut short.

"Tell me what?!" Danny half-asked and half-shouted. To be fair the last thing he remembered was that he had been experiencing blinding pain. Now he wakes up only to argue with two weird voices? Not his idea of a fun day.

_"Relax, me and him are the good guys in all of this...listen, you're going to be in for some pretty big trouble pretty soon..." _at this the voice finally sounded serious. _"I can't really tell you much right now...only that it's going to be rough, and...you might not survive..."_

"I'm used to some pretty bad odds," Danny replied, grinning as he heard the voice chuckle.

_"So I've noticed...just...don't give up. That's all I can tell you for now. And...try not to freak out too badly, okay?"_

"Freak out..." Danny raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Freak out about what exactly?"

X

"Again, nothing," Ghostwriter muttered, feeling even angrier. Phantom may not have been a best friend or anything, but he respected the kid. That and it was nice to hang around with people instead of books _all _the time. And he hated that he couldn't even figure out what was wrong with his almost-friend. "Maybe I should check that older history book again..." he muttered while tossing the twelfth book he had read into a growing pile of books he had already checked.

It showed how worn out he was that he was actually tossing the books instead of gently setting them down.

It had been half an hour since he had left Danny asleep and he had been through most of the books he could think to check. So far he had found nothing useful, well, except how to get rid of ghostly chicken pox. That was helpful, but not very useful in the current situation.

He just _knew _he had read something about this situation before...he just didn't know when he had read it. Or where. Or what book it had been in... Ghostwriter sighed before standing up and reaching for a book, he didn't even get a chance to touch it before a heart-wrenching scream suddenly echoed around the library.

Paling at what that scream could mean Ghostwriter wasted no time and jumping up and flying at his fastest speed to where he had left Phantom resting. As soon as he pushed his glasses up and got a look at what was happening he was struck speechless.

The teen was slightly floating off the couch and curled into a small ball of pain. He seemed to be radiating pure power with green and white-ish blue lights surrounding his whole body, pulsing. Large white spikes, which looked more like liquid metal than anything else, seemed to be growing from his back, right where the circles had been. Ghostwriter quickly counted six spikes in all before hearing Danny's scream again, this time even louder than before.

Ghostwriter froze when he saw the boy fade again.

"H-Hey! Phantom!" Throwing all caution to the wind, for once, Ghostwriter rushed over and placed his hands on Danny's cheeks, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes. "Hey, it's okay. The pain will go away." He really had no clue if it would, but he had to calm down the boy somehow. Otherwise the pain was only going to get worse, and if that happened the boy might fade and _not _come back. "Phantom! Pay attention dammit!" Danny only seemed to start fading away for longer periods of time, which caused Ghostwriter to freak out even more.

"Phantom! Phan...DANNY!" At this Danny's eyes snapped up and stared into the Ghostwriter's worried ones, his glasses having slipped off during one of the power surges. "Hey, it's gonna be alright, okay. Nod if you can hear me." He slowly felt Danny nod. "Okay, that's good. Now, deep breaths. The pain will be gone soon, okay? Just breathe deeply." Danny slowly nodded again before doing as he was told and breathing deeper.

After a few more moments of this the spikes seemed to change. They slowly started becoming more solid and wider, disconnecting from the back and hovering right where the holes were. Ghostwriter watched, in astonishment, as the white metal quickly faded into a deep black color.

White and green seemed to thread into the, he guessed they were wings, in a simple pattern. A bright acid green strip seemed to be the color separator between the white tips and sold black wings. White was also showing in a half-moon shape on the bottom of each one of the wings.

Danny groaned as more metal came off the red crystal, smaller this time and floating in between the spaces of the larger wings. There were six of them, and they were hardly the size of a ruler. The bottom of the wings were black while another half-moon shape seemed to thread in at the top, being green instead of white this time. Ghostwriter watched as small red crystals floated out of the crystal he had examined earlier and floated by each tip of the smaller wings.

(acer-kaze dot deviantart dot com/#/d55el5z)

Danny groaned one last time before the pulsing light abruptly dulled back to his usual glow, being brighter than before and also being green instead of white. Ghostwriter quickly caught the teen as he fell back onto the couch, making sure to lay his head down gently on the pillow. "Hey...you okay?" Danny slightly nodded as he looked up from laying on his stomach, the wings collapsing behind him to rest on his back.

"That sucked," the boy rasped, Ghostwriter slightly smiling. He was just glad the teen hadn't faded out of existence. He was positive that if the boy hadn't looked up and concentrated on something other than pain when he did than he really might have faded out...

"It probably did...just try to get some rest for now..." Danny nodded while laying his head back down, almost falling asleep before his eyes snapped open as he looked up startled. Ghostwriter didn't seem to notice the sudden behavior since he was collecting his glasses off the floor and polishing them, quickly slipping them back on once satisfied.

"Hey..." The elder ghost looked over at the teen once he had spoken, surprised to see the startled expression on the younger one's face. "You called me Danny..." Ghostwriter looked shocked for a second, realizing that he had indeed called his almost-friend by his first name instead of his ghost one.

"Well, that is your name after all," Ghostwriter smirked, turning so he could pick up the cloth and bowl of water. Danny still seemed astonished at the fact an actual ghost had called him by his first name instead of by his ghost one. Or an insult, as was the usual case.

"Yeah but none of you have ever called me that. The closest I've ever heard is Daniel, and that's from two ghosts. One of them being the fruitloop!" At this Ghostwriter let out a chuckle, glancing back at Danny to see he was still looking puzzled. The elder ghost shook his head before pulling the blanket back over the boy and petting his bangs again.

"Just go back to sleep Phantom, you could use the rest..." he grinned, watching as Danny's lips quirked before he flopped back down, still looking slightly puzzled, but also amused.

"Oh sure, _now _it's Phantom."

"Just go to sleep."

X

_"...try not to freak out too badly..."_

"Ugh...I feel like crap," Danny muttered, opening his eyes to see he was on a couch, which looked somewhat familiar. He looked up to see that Ghostwriter was sitting near the couch, a pile of books on either side of him and a few more scattered around the floor, some open and some closed. Right now it looked like Ghostwriter was trying to read three books at once, since two of them were floating in front of him and another was held in his hands.

"I would expect so," Ghostwriter mumbled, slightly grinning as he waved a hand and caused the two floating books to gently land on the floor, "After what you went through I'm surprised you only slept a few hours."

"I'm used to not getting much sleep," Danny grinned while sitting up, slightly confused when he didn't feel the pain in his back anymore. "Hey...my back doesn't hurt any more..." Danny tried to look over his shoulder to see why, having a faint memory of Ghostwriter saying something about his back being soaked with blood. He caught a glimpse of something...but what the heck was...oh...

He had wings...

"What the he-" Danny jumped up, stumbling due to his weak legs. Ghostwriter managed to sit up enough to catch him before he could fall all the way to the floor, both watching as the wings snapped open after Danny's yell and fall. "That isn't normal..." Danny muttered, slightly glaring at what he was looking at. Ghostwriter rolled his eyes, thinking that _that _had been an understatement.

"I'm guessing you didn't see the wings before you passed out?" At the shake he received Ghostwriter sighed, knowing this might be slightly difficult to explain."You know that whole power surge event?" At the nod he continued. "Those were the cause of the power surge, and probably the pain you've been feeling in your back lately. Congratulations Phantom, you now have wings."

If he felt Danny's glare he chose to ignore it.

"I figured that out, but why the hell do I even _have _wings? This isn't normal! Vlad never got wings and he's half-ghost like me! I've never even seen a ghost with wings! Well...besides Dora, but that's only when she goes all...dragon-y."

"Dragon-y?" Ghostwriter raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused as he continued to hold the boy up. Danny blushed before wiggling out of the ghost's arms and finally crawling back on the couch and sitting down instead of being held up by his, now annoying, friend.

"Between the wings and my grammar you choose my grammar?" Danny frowned while Ghostwriter seemed to give him a _I'm-a-writer-what-do-you-expect _look as he stood up. "More to the point, do any ghosts have wings like these?" He saw the elder ghost's troubled expression before glancing back at said wings, which really didn't look much like wings. They weren't feathered or anything, of which he was grateful.

He did _not _need any angel jokes from Tucker.

Tapping one gently Danny guessed they were of a metal substance. The top ones floated a little above his shoulders and looked to be about as long as his arms. Perhaps a little longer. The four below seemed to get smaller and smaller as they went down. What he was really interested in though were the six smaller _wings _that were being flanked by red crystal.

He had _never _seen anything remotely like this.

He must have looked close to panicking since he felt a slightly light tap on his head. He looked up to see Ghostwriter was looking at him and frowning. "If you panic now you're gonna go on for hours. And I don't know about you but I've had enough excitement and drama to last for a few good years. So keep calm, alright?" Danny nodded slowly, knowing that the ghost was right. If he panicked now he would be panicking all night.

"I just know I've seen wings like that before somewhere..." Ghostwriter growled, looking frustrated. Danny felt sympathetic. He knew what it was like to try and remember something only for it to just stay out of your grasp. Maybe he could help or something...although he wasn't really sure how.

"Do any ghosts have wings like this?" Danny quietly asked, watching the wings slightly float up and down as he moved. As soon as he stopped moving the wings settled. Ghostwriter seemed to come out of his list of theories since he slightly shook his head while looking at the wings.

"Not that I've ever heard of. Ghosts don't have wings, Dora excluded, because we can fly without them. They'd be superfluous really." At this Danny snorted, looking slightly annoyed and mostly amused at the explanation.

"Then what are they for, decoration?" Ghostwriter ruefully grinned at that before sighing and sitting down on the coffee table, moving a few book around so he _could _actually sit. There were always dangers to being a bookworm.

"I don't think so, as amusing as that would be," he replied, grinning at the look Danny shot at him. "No...going through that much pain just to get these wings...not to mention your aura changed."

"My what?" Danny raised an eyebrow, looking so confused Ghostwriter actually felt sorry for the boy. How he had even survived fighting ghosts for so long if he didn't even know about auras... Now he knew why Vlad had wanted to teach the boy so much, it was slightly painful to watch.

"Your aura. It's what shows your power levels. The brighter and stronger it is, the more powerful you are." Danny looked confused for a few more seconds before it suddenly dawned on him.

"Oh! You mean my glow?" Ghostwriter raised an eyebrow at the description but simply nodded.

"Yes. Your _glow _as you call it," another scowl sent his way, "is the best indicator to know the power level of any given ghost. Take Box Ghost for example. Notice how his aura is weak and doesn't shine too much?" Danny seemed to nod before something suddenly clicked in his mind.

"Oh! So that's why most people sometimes mistake him for human, and why he was glowing so much during the whole Pandora's Box thing! I had wondered about the glowing thing before." Ghostwriter shook his head in an amused manner at the boy. "So then wait...what's the whole aura thing got to do with me?"

"Look at your hands," Ghostwriter instructed, watching Danny raise an eyebrow before doing as he was told. He almost grinned as he saw the boy's eyes widen. "Before your aura was white, almost blue at times. Most likely it was due to your ice powers. Now it's stronger, brighter, and _green_. Do you know what green represents?"

"Uh...the theme of the Ghost Zone?" Danny half-shrugged, his wings moving with the motion. Ghostwriter grinned at the response, almost letting out a chuckle.

"Not quite. It represents the core power of all ghosts. So the more green your aura, and the stronger it glows..."

"The powerful you are..." Danny's eyes widened, looking shocked. Ghostwriter nodded, happy that the boy had finally understood it. Now maybe he would be able to tell when a ghost might be too strong for him. "That doesn't make sense though. Pariah's glow, or, uh, aura, looked like most ghost's, and he was way stronger than all of them! Same with- Another...powerful ghost..." If Ghostwriter noticed Danny's troubled expression at his mention of the second ghost he chose to ignore it.

"If you are powerful enough you can mask your aura," Ghostwriter grinned, letting his own aura flare a bit. Danny looked surprised before suddenly smirking.

"You like to surprise people with how strong you really are, don't you?" Ghostwriter just grinned in response, causing Danny to lightly shake his head. "Okay, so how do I dim my...aura, to where it doesn't blind me or make me stand out like a neon sign."

"You have to control you. It's like any other ghost power. It can flare with your moods, but you can learn to control it. Just close your eyes and picture your aura, imagine it getting dimmer, more easy to tame." Danny nodded before doing as told and closing his eyes, imagining the ghostly glow that surrounded him growing dimmer, less bright and more under his control. He had just about done it when he saw a flash of wings in his mind that caused him to jump. They had looked like his wings but...

They were different...

"Hey, you okay?" Danny looked over at Ghostwriter's concerned expression, slightly nodding. What...was that. He had seen a figure when he had closed his eyes. "Well, it looked like it worked. Your aura is now dimmed. You learn pretty quick, don't you." Danny looked down to see that his aura was indeed less bright, just like he had imagined it. "You don't look that happy."

"I had some kind of...flash...when I had my eyes closed..." Ghostwriter frowned while looking over at Danny, who looked troubled and was still looking at his hands. "Some kind of...figure... He looked like he was wearing a dark cloak, I think black, and he...he had wings like mine..."

"_Like _yours? What do you mean like? Like they were different?" Ghostwriter asked, looking confused and wondering just where this was going. Wings like Danny's...he knew he had seen something similar too but he just couldn't _remember._ He saw Danny nod before finally meeting his gaze, looking solemn.

"The wings were red."

"Red..." Ghostwriter looked confused but he couldn't help but feel as if those words had more meaning than they should. Weight to them that neither understood. "What do you mean the wings were red?" Something was scratching at the back of his mind. A feeling...red wings...why did that sound so _familiar_...

"Like, instead of the on mine black they were red. And the crystal was black too," Danny muttered, trying to recall more details about the flash of the figure he had seen. "Oh yeah! And he had a scythe!" Danny must not have noticed Ghostwriter's astonished expression because he kept right on talking. "It had a black handle and it was kinda curvy looking...the scythe, or uh, the metal part, it was green. Like my, uh, what was it? Aura?"

"It can't be..." Ghostwriter whispered, looking at the boy shocked. Danny looked confused before the ghost jumped up suddenly, startling the younger. "There hasn't been one in ages!" Danny watched as the ghost flew around the shelves faster than the boy thought he was capable of, going back and forth while muttering under his breath. "Why now...why _now_?"

"Uh...mind telling me what's going on?" Danny called out, watching as Ghostwriter came zooming back around the corner, weighed down by a large book. It had to have been the oldest book Danny had ever seen, easily hundreds of years old. Ghostwriter was flipping through the pages and muttering under his breath the whole time. "Uh...Ghostwriter?"

"HA!" Danny jumped at the sudden exclamation, looking shocked as the Ghostwriter grinned. "I just _knew _I had seen your wings somewhere before!"

"Really? You found out what they are? What?" Danny was almost jumping up and down. If he actually knew what the heck these things were it would be a lot easier to plan what to do from there. Danny watched as Ghostwriter looked from the page to Danny and back again, his smile growling slightly softer.

"Well...I suppose I really shouldn't be all that surprised. Considering it's you and everything..." Ghostwriter looked thoughtful while holding the book with one hand and fingering a page with the other. "I just didn't think that the next one would actually be you...there hasn't been one in ages, literally thousands of years..."

"One what?" Danny asked, looking more and more confused at Ghostwriter's ramblings. The elder ghost looked up and stared at Danny for a few more seconds. He was silent for a moment before he grinned slyly.

"Why, a Guardian of the Ghost Zone of course."

* * *

I believe this is the part where the last author was saying something about her being the Goddess/Spirit of Cliffhangers. I do so hope I lived up to that reputation... By the way, if you like the Guardian story and wanna read something similar-ish, try reading King of the Ghost Zone... Yes. Yes it is Shameless Plugging. But I'm a yoai fangirl.

I have no shame.

Okay! Off to work on next chapter. This is getting fun- Oh! Almost forgot. Que gave me some notes about what she had planned...*snicker* Boy are you guys in for some twists and turns. ***cackles* Things have changed so much since then...trust me. The twists and turns are now loops and spins. XD**


	3. Legends Are Lessons

**Sup. I come with another edit! I changed the song again too, the last one was too amv-ish to really fit...yeah... I read the comments...it was still too rocky and rolly to fit the chapter though, so instead you get instrumental music. Because music like that is perfect for info-dumping. Which is what this is. **

**I'm serious. It's like, all info-dumping. So here's your song link! I hope you guys actually use these things...you'd be surprised by how well music can set the mood for the chapter you're on...**

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=NlVebAXb83U**

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The chapters just keep getting away from me...it should have been shorter...but it was eight pages...in _size 10 _font... *twitch* But that's okay! Because I'm having fun writing this, and you all are so sweet! Okay, so this is the third chapter, and some of you may notice the new image cover, right? You can thank the last author, I call her Que. Because her freaking name is huge and I can't remember it. **(At first that was the reason...then she just became Que in my eyes. XD)**

acer-kaze dot deviantart dot com /gallery/#/d55ieaw

Go praise her amazing Danny Phantom Guardian art. Praise it now! Then read this chapter. It was fun. Enjoy!

Disclaimer : Really...do I even have to say anything at this point?

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**Chapter Three**

**X**

"I'm sorry, I'm a _what _of the _what_?" Ghostwriter slightly smiled at the teen's expression before looking down at the book in his hands, trying to figure out how best to explain just what Danny had now become. If explaining auras was any indication this was going to be a tad bit difficult.

"The Guardian of the Ghost Zone...it's a very, _very _old title, as old as the Ghost Zone itself now that I think about it..." At this Ghostwriter paused, watching to see Danny's reaction. He wasn't disappointed. The boy was on the edge of his seat and staring at the ghost intently, drinking in every word that was said. Now Ghostwriter knew why he had taken such a liking to the teen, he was eager to learn.

"It was the Guardian's job to protect the Ghost Zone from any threats that would arise, but not just us. It was also their job to protect the human world, to some extent at least..." Danny looked confused at that, causing Ghostwriter to slightly smile. "The Guardians _knew_ that humans would always fight and get into wars and cause other sorts of trouble so they only protected the human world from, ah, _ghostly _threats." Danny nodded in understanding.

"So you mean like Pariah and stuff?" Ghostwriter nodded, slightly smiling that the teen had understood so quickly. It was ironic since it would have been the Guardian's job to lock Pariah back up, and it turned out that the Guardian _had _locked the rogue king up. He supposed the ghosts should have figured something was up when that had happened.

"Yes. The last Guardian was Umbra, but that was back ages upon ages ago..." Ghostwriter muttered, slightly frowning while flipping to a new page in the book he was struggling to hold steady. Danny guessed that was an indication that it was rather heavy. "Somewhere around...ten thousand years I suppose... now that I think about it..."

Danny frowned in confusion as he watched the ghost's eyes glaze over, as if he was zoned out and thinking about something completely different. "Umbra had been Guardian back around then... He disappeared after the time of..." Ghostwriter suddenly winced and clutched his head in pain, book almost falling out of his lap.

"Hey, you okay?" Danny asked, catching the book before it could fall and looking up to see that the Ghostwriter was nodding and taking the book back, still rubbing his head.

"I'm fine..." the older ghost muttered, looking lost for a second before looking back down at his book. "Now where was I... Ah, yes. Umbra-

"Umbra...you mean the darkest part of a shadow?" Danny raised an eyebrow, looking highly amused. Ghostwriter just grinned along with him while nodding, tense moment forgotten by both.

"Yes, quite a fitting name when you think about it," the ghost smirked, looking down at the page he had turned to. He frowned before muttering under his breath and flipping a few more pages forward. Danny just raised an eyebrow as the Ghostwriter was now smiling and holding the book up so Danny could see the page. There was a very well-drawn, and old, picture of the figure he had seen in his little flash. It even looked like him, at least, a part of him.

"He..."

"Looks like you?" Danny nodded while looking at the picture. The man seemed around his early to mid twenties and looked very dignified. The expression made him think of Clockwork. Very mature, but a mischievous nature hidden underneath. His hair was flat, unlike Danny's spiky hair that he could never get to stay down, and went down all the way to his shoulders. It was black though, like his human half. "I suppose he does..."

Green eyes seemed to hold their own spark of life, even inside the picture. The last Guardian was dressed in a red and black outfit, one that looked like it was hundreds of years old, which, it was probably even older than that. Another thing that stood out was the dark black cloak and the scythe. The scythe was massive and strangely curved, the metal being a sinister green color. The scythe should have made the man look as if he could barely hold it, yet the picture made him look like it barely weighed anything at all.

The thing that stood out most however was his wings. Exactly like Danny's, just a few different colors.

"So the wings...?"

"That's how the Guardian is always recognized by others. No other ghost in the _world _has wings, let alone wings like these. They can't be counterfeited in any way either, the Zone itself won't allow it." Danny raised an eyebrow at that part but decided not to ask, he had a feeling he would just be confused if he did. "I can't believe I didn't recognize them myself immediately." Now Danny was curious. Ghostwriter must have seen the look since he smiled before continuing.

"Most ghosts, if not all, will inherently recognize those wings of yours, and know what it means, when they see them. They will automatically know that you are now Guardian of the Zone," Ghostwriter grinned, Danny looking nervous at that bit of information.

"That might not be such a good thing..." the teen muttered, looking worried at the fact others knew he was now the Guardian of the Ghost Zone. Oh god...that sounded so weird in his head. He had so not expected this when he had started feeling back pain.

"It won't be a problem," Ghostwriter grinned while turning the book back towards himself and flipping through a few more pages. "Not many ghosts will willingly attack you now as long as they know just who you are." Danny still looked skeptic. "Well, Skulker might. But he's not very sane, is he?" Ghostwriter smiled as he saw Danny finally let out a laugh.

"Okay...so what now?" Danny muttered, half to Ghostwriter and half to himself. He was now Guardian of the Ghost Zone...what the hell was he supposed to do when someone told him something like that? Ghostwriter seemed to notice his sour mood since he shook his head slightly while closing the book and setting it beside him.

"Hey," Ghostwriter muttered, placing his hands on Danny's cheeks and bringing the teen's eyes to his own, seeing the fear and uncertainty in them. "Everything is going to be alright. Things like this happen for a reason. It wasn't random that those wings of yours showed up. Besides, there's no one I can think of better for the position of Guardian than you. You already save the ghosts and humans are a daily basis, right? Think of this as a promotion."

"Yeah. Promoted to Guardian, did we mention you get awesome freak-ish wings?" Danny snipped, although a corner of his mouth was tugging into a smile. Ghostwriter grinned before letting him go and standing up, brushing himself off in a nervous gesture while looking for something behind the couch. Danny watched for a few seconds as the ghost muttered to himself, slightly amused.

It took a few minutes, as Ghostwriter seemed to be flying from room to room. Danny was finally about to break down and ask what the heck he was doing before a thick purple cloak was thrown around his shoulders. It helped quite a bit, since he had been freezing due to his bare skin.

Ghostwriter grinned even wider at Danny's confused expression. "I'd rather you not zip your hazmat suit up just yet, it might mess with your wings and that's the last thing you want. So until then you can wear this." Danny looked up from the cloak, which seemed a tad too big on him, to Ghostwriter, who was still grinning.

"I kinda don't wanna ask...but I just have to know this time. Why do you have a _cloak_?" Danny raised an eyebrow, all while snapping the fashionable green broach over one end of the cloak, which seemed to be what kept it tied together. "I mean...there has gotta be a pretty interesting story behind that."

"Capes are overrated."

"...You think you can maybe give a little more information than that?" Danny asked sarcastically while Ghostwriter just chuckled, pulling the hood up over Danny's head and causing the teen to bat the ghost's hand away while grinning.

"Well, besides the obvious cape statement...it's actually a souvenir..." At the sad tone in the ghost's voice Danny looked up, slightly worried. "From back when I was alive." Yep. He was right to be worried.

"Oh, um, a-are you sure you want to let me borrow it then?"

"Have."

"What?"

"Not borrow. I'm letting you have it." At the startled expression on Danny's face Ghostwriter let out a full laugh. "Phantom I haven't worn that thing in years. Many, _many _years. The only other use for it now is a blanket. I'd be much happier if it went to someone who would actually use and take care of it. Besides, _every_ Guardian needs a fashionable cloak. Especially a purple one."

Danny just shook his head while grinning at the cloak. Fashionable purple indeed... Purple...cloak... Danny swore his brain actually kicked itself. Clueless indeed. "I am such an idiot!" The outburst seemed to startle Ghostwriter a little, who looked curious. "I mean, how could I not have thought to go to him before? It was the obvious thing- oh yeah...I couldn't concentrate because of the unending pain..."

"Um...not to interrupt your ramblings or anything," again he ignored the scowl, "But who are you talking about?" Danny looked up in surprise before raising an eyebrow, as if the answer should be obvious by now.

"Clockwork."

It took a few more seconds for it to sink in, but when it did Ghostwriter looked as if he was about to have a heart attack. Really, this was getting far too out of hand for him. When he first saw Phantom he didn't think he would have to deal with...with all of this! A new Guardian and the Master of Time all in one night? Danny Phantom did indeed attract strange things to him...

"C-Clockwork...you mean Master of Time, Clockwork? The same one who no one knows the exact whereabouts of? That Clockwork?" Danny just nodded, as if everyone should know Clockwork like he did. Ghostwriter just shook his head before plopping down on the couch beside the teen. "There is nothing normal about you, is there?"

"Hey! There is too! There's...uh...well..." A few seconds of silence passed before Danny sighed and looked away. "No." Ghostwriter almost laughed when he saw the boy's wings droop a little in sync with his emotions. They were currently getting in the way of his new cloak, which was probably annoying the teen if his quick glare back at the wings was anything to go by.

"So...Clockwork?"

"Yeah! He'd be perfect to ask!" And just like that Danny seemed like a little kid again. "He seems to like it when I come over to visit him, says it breaks up the monotony or something like that. He also helps me with my history homework, or at least points me in the right direction." The more Danny said the more shocked Ghostwriter was turning out to be.

"The Master of All Time...helps you with your history homework..."

"Yeah! He's really good to ask when going over the answers. If I get it wrong he points me in what direction I should be looking. He's probably saved my grade more than enough times, same with you and my English homework." Ghostwriter had to wonder just how many ghostly friends of his helped with his homework. He also absently wondered if Technus helped him with his math, which would be quite an amusing thing to see.

"So, uh...how exactly do you know the Master of All Time?" Danny seemed to finally notice Ghostwriter's astonishment, since he slightly grinned while turning to face his friend, at least, he hoped the ghost was his friend, after all of this.

"It's...a long story. I'm guessing by your reaction though that not everyone knows Clockwork like I do?" Ghostwriter just shook his head, causing Danny to let out a chuckle. "That sounds like him. He likes his privacy, I can usually only find the tower when he wants me to anyways." Ghostwriter just nodded, trying to follow along. Danny took pity on him since he looked so lost and confused. "Basically he's my...I guess you could call him mentor."

The new Guardian of the Ghost Zone had the Master of All Time as his mentor...

"Things are never easy _or _normal with you...are they?" Ghostwriter sighed, looking amused while Danny just let out a laugh, thinking about how true that statement was. The nearest thing that was normal in his life was the fact he went to school like other teens, other than that though... Even dinner wasn't normal what with how his mom cooked. "Right... Clockwork it is then. If anyone knows what's going on I suppose it would be him."

"Yup. I should probably get going now if I want to get back in time for school tomorrow-or, uh today. If I'm late one more time Mr. Lancer is going to- Why are you laughing?" Danny suddenly asked, looking confused. Ghostwriter just grinned before standing up along with Danny and adjusting they boy's new cloak a little.

"Well, you've just become the new Guardian of the Ghost Zone, the first one we've had in over thousands of years, and you're worried you're going to be late to school." Danny seemed to pause a few seconds before laughing along with the older ghost, seeing the logic and humor in the words. It was a little strange that out of all of this _that _was what he was most worried about.

"So, you wanna come with me to see Clockwork?" Danny asked as the two reached the library doors, which again opened on their own. Ghostwriter seemed to pale at the question before avoiding the teen's eyes and fiddling with his scarf.

"Oh, uh, I'd love to! Really! But, uh...I have to...find...a book..." he finished, somewhat lamely, while still looking towards the ground. Danny raised an eyebrow before trying to suppress another chuckle. Leave it to Ghostwriter. He may be able to alter reality with his own words but he was terrible at lying to someone in person. He wondered if that was all writers or just this one.

"If you didn't want to come you could have just said so. Instead of trying to lie, and fail at it," Danny grinned cheekily, causing a slight smile out of Ghostwriter, who looked a little embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. I'll be there in no time, and I doubt anyone will be looking for a fight this late at night, or, uh, early..."

"Fine," Ghostwriter sighed, finally meeting Danny's eyes, "Just be careful, okay, Danny? I'd rather not see the _one _idiot I actually like get killed."

"Hey! You called me Danny again, and you said you liked me!" Ghostwriter slightly blushed while pushing the boy out of the library by his shoulders, careful to avoid the probably still sore back. It took a few more moments before Danny finally spoke up again. "Hey, wait! I'm not an idiot!"

"Bye Phantom!" Ghostwriter grinned while the doors closed between them, Danny huffing and crossing his arms. The teen slowly grinned before rolling his eyes and jumping into the air, happy that he had the strength to fly again.

"Bye Ghostwriter...and thanks..."

X

"Hey! Clockwork?" The Master of All Time looked away from his viewing monitor and over his shoulders to see that Danny was coming around the corner, looking slightly lost. The boy then grinned upon catching sight of the older ghost, who was currently in his adult form. "You could have left a better note," the teen muttered, ruining his pouting expression by grinning anyways as he flew up to the ghost.

"Hello to you as well Daniel. I apologize for the cryptic note earlier, but you know by now that I cannot reveal too much information about the future." Danny sighed before grinning and looking back up at Clockwork, already knowing this speech by heart.

"I know I know. Something about the time space continuum becoming unbalanced, right?" At the nod he received Danny grinned while glancing back at his wings and then back to Clockwork. "Okay, I get that all that and everything...but can you please tell me why I have wings? And creepy ones at that?" Clockwork almost laughed at the boy's accusing stare.

"Hm, might I suggest turning your wings intangible for a few seconds, so your rather _fashionable _cloak will fit more comfortably?" Danny looked confused at the change of subject before shrugging and closing his eyes, almost smiling since that was as close as Clockwork got to teasing. He also knew by now that arguing with Clockwork was a lost cause. Always. "Better?"

Danny looked back, surprised when he saw his wings were now intangible and his cloak was resting comfortably against his back. The boy nodded as his wings faded back to the tangible spectrum. "Okay, so...Guardian of the Ghost Zone...care to explain that one to me?" Clockwork smiled at the expression on the boy's face. Danny watched as the ghost shifted to his child form, looking for a way to best express what he had to say.

"It's...a rather complicated thing to explain, as you no doubt already know by now... As of now you are not yet the Guardian of the Ghost Zone." Danny looked like he was going to interrupt, but quickly shut his mouth, knowing Clockwork would answer his questions even without him asking. "You will never be the true Guardian until you reclaim the scythe."

"What does the scythe have to do with being Guardian?" Danny asked, looking fairly baffled. Clockwork seemed to grin at the expression before gesturing to his own staff now that he was back in his adult form.

"Like with myself a fair amount of your power lies in the weapon, which is always passed down by the previous holder. I wish I could help you find it Daniel but not even my powers can locate the scythe. And even if they could I would be forbidden from telling you anything." Danny nodded while looking thoughtful, suddenly frowning as something crossed his mind.

"Wait a minute...what do you mean _like with myself_?" Clockwork almost grinned at the question, his eyes not seeing Danny anymore but something far off into the past. A time from when he had been someone other than who he was now.

"I was not always the Master of Time, Daniel. I was once a child, although a bit younger than you are now when I started training for the position. And trust me on this Daniel, I got into just as much trouble as you can sometimes, and the then Master of Time, Clockwise, was just as inscrutable and irritating as you find me most of the time." Danny looked at him oddly for a few seconds before just shaking his head and looking baffled.

"I'm sorry, I just can't see it. It's just impossible for me to see you as anything else other than the Master of Time, let alone getting into trouble like I do." At this point he let out a snort of disbelief, Clockwork just raising an eyebrow at the gesture.

"You can think what you will, but I do understand you. Far better than you sometimes realize..." Clockwork said after a moment, grinning as he turned back to the screen behind him. Danny walked over, curiously wondering what Clockwork was planning now before he saw the screen blur. It looked like it was the inside of the clock tower, only the furniture and walls looked slightly different.

From what he could see three of the Observants, all of whom he hated quite a bit, stood arguing with who he thought was Clockwork. Although, now that he looked closer, it wasn't. He looked like Clockwork, but the cloak was blue, and the scar on the ghost's face was different than the Clockwork he knew. A moment later he spotted what must have been Clockwork back then, buckteeth and all.

Danny almost snorted as he saw the ghost, who looked around twelve, was trying to look innocent, and failing. Danny watched as the Observant turned to look at the younger Clockwork. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?" the ghost demanded, looking as cross as a giant eyeball could.

"I'm sorry I got caught?" Danny really did snort this time at young Clockwork's response, who was grinning widely. The present Clockwork just slightly grinned at the sound before turning back towards the screen.

"Clockwork..." the elder ghost, Clockwise from what Danny figured, sighed. He looked annoyed, but Danny could see the twinkle in his eye that meant he was amused. Clockwork did the same when hearing about some of Danny's situations at school and the like.

"All right! All right..." Clockwork grumbled while looking back towards the Observant who had spoken. "I'm _really _sorry I got caught!" As soon as he had finished he ducked behind Clockwise, since the Observant had made a grab for the grinning kid. Danny was at this point trying to hold in his laughter, and was pretty sure he was cracking a few ribs in the process.

"You little!" the giant eyeball screeched, making another wild grab, only to be _accidentally _knocked backwards by Clockwise's staff. The younger Clockwork was now hiding behind his master's cloak and was sticking his tongue out at the Observants. "That little brat deserves to be punished for this Clockwise!"

Danny finally dissolved into helpless laughter as he watched Clockwise roll his eyes and look down at Clockwork, looking faintly amused. The present Clockwork simply shook his head while waving his staff, letting the image of the moment fade away. It took a few more moments for Danny to get his laughter under control.

"W-What did you do?" the teen asked, gasping for breath. Clockwork looked at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly grinning as he watched the boy still let out a chuckle every few seconds.

"I believe that was the time I had set an onion bomb off in the main observatory of the Observants. I never did figure out why they were so angry, since they have no sense of smell as it is." This answer caused Danny to laugh even more. The way Clockwork had said it meant that he had pulled _many _pranks when he was still a child. Besides, any pain of the Observants was fine with him. Ever since he had heard about the ghosts wanting him _dead _he had nearly despised them as much as Clockwork, which was to say quite a bit.

Clockwork meanwhile was smiling at accomplishing what he had set out to do. The trip down memory lane had brought back the happy sarcastic Danny that he had come to know. He would rather talk with this Danny than the one that had looked so depressed when he had first entered the tower. It took a few more minutes for Danny to finally stop his laughter and look back up at a grinning Clockwork.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You can get into just as much trouble as I can. But I am curious about something." At the look from Clockwork he continued. "Why is the _weapon of power_," cue a Clockwork eyebrow raise, "a scythe? Seems kinda Grim Reaper-ish if you ask me." Clockwork almost chuckled at that point.

"Apt description. As for why it was a scythe, it's always been that way. The first Guardian just happened to like using it as a weapon. The use of the scythe among Guardians has also lead to many of the myths, as you have already mentioned so eloquently, of the Grim Reaper." Danny's eyebrows raised all the way up to his bangs.

"The Grim Reaper? You have got to be kidding me..." he muttered dubiously, Clockwork smirking before continuing on with his lesson on Guardians.

"Rarely do I kid." At this Danny snorted while rolling his eyebrows. Clockwork chose to ignore it, this time. "This also stems from the fact that the Guardian's main job, besides protecting the Ghost Zone, is to find ghosts as they are created. It was their job to make sure new ghosts got to this place safely. Ghosts are actually far rarer than you would think, so the Guardian was never seen in the human realm often, but still the myths persisted." At the look Danny gave him Clockwork grinned.

"The myths persisted that the Guardian was an omen of death."

Danny looked thoughtful, and a little amused, by the information. It took a few seconds for him to answer, but when he did Clockwork was not disappointed. "This night just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Danny let out a sigh while running a hand through his hair, which was messier than it had been in his last transformation. "Okay, just to be _clear_, this isn't a dream...right?"

Clockwork smiled sympathetically while shaking his head. "No Daniel, it isn't a dream. I'm sorry I can't help you very much with this but Guardians aren't allowed to interfere with other Guardians' fate." At this information Danny paused, looking up in shock and understanding.

"Other Guardians...so you're a Guardian too! What are you- Oh, duh Fenton. Guardian of Time." Clockwork grinned while nodding his head, Danny looking amused before sighing again. "This just keeps getting complicated...but at least my mentor is another Guardian."

"True," Clockwork chuckled, shifting into his adult form before looking serious. Danny seemed to notice since he payed attention. "Daniel...finding the scythe will _not _be easy. You will be tested, heavily. And...you may not survive..." At this Danny tensed up, as if he had heard those words before, although where he wasn't sure, "I wish I could help, but the time line is getting harder to make out..."

"What do you mean?"

"I have explained to you about how I see the parade from above, correct?" Danny nodded, slightly smiling at remembering the description that had felt like eons ago. "Well, to put it in simple terms, the parade is being covered by clouds." Danny seemed to look confused for a second before looking worried.

"So you're saying that the future is...clouded, like, harder to see?" Clockwork nodded, also looking troubled. "That's...that's really bad, right?" Clockwork looked down to see Danny looked even more worried than Clockwork. The Master of Time seemed surprised for a second before gently smiling.

"Do not worry Daniel. Guarding time is my responsibility and mine alone. Just as yours is guarding the Ghost Zone."

"But...the scythe-"

"Doesn't have to be found right away. You do not have to rush off in search of it just yet. You will know when to search when the time is right, and not a second sooner." Danny nodded uncertainly before sighing and smiling.

"I guess this is one of those _I'll-understand-some-day _lectures, huh?" Clockwork chuckled at the teen's words.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Danny nodded while going back to fiddling with broach that clasped his cloak, looking slightly worried. It would have been obvious even if the wings hadn't been moving closer and closer together, much like a bird's when they're scared of something. Seeing the cloak Clockwork got an idea, quite a wicked one.

"I see you're still wearing Andrew's cloak." Danny looked up, startled before smiling and nodding.

"Yeah, he said I could actually have it! Which was really nice of- Wait...Andrew?" Clockwork nodded, knowing this was going to amuse Danny to no end.

"Yes. The Ghostwriter's real name is Andrew Riter." Clockwork was the most amused yet after seeing the expression on Danny's face. It was full of pure mischief at this point.

"I'm going to have so much fun with this," Danny chuckled, looking far too amused for his own good. His amusement started to fade when he once again caught sight of his wings. "I'm gonna be in for a rough couple of months, aren't I?" Clockwork lightly smiled before tapping his protege's head with his staff. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You will be fine Daniel. You are too stubborn to be anything but." Ignoring another Danny scowl. "The future is never completely certain, you and I know that better than most. Besides, there is no such thing as luck. If you wish to succeed you certainly will. You've proven before that even with the odds _vastly _out of your favor you can still pull through. Besides, this time your chances are far better than before."

Danny looked confused before looking up at Clockwork, still rubbing his head. "And, uh, which time are you referring to exactly?" Clockwork looked at him with an amused look and a raised eyebrow.

"Let's just say that your chances of actually beating your evil future self were...dismal, at best," he responded drily, making Danny pale a bit at the thought. He had barely won that fight, in fact his family would have all been destroyed if it hadn't been for Clockwork.

"I think I could have gone without knowing that..." he muttered after a few seconds, still looking rather pale. Clockwork slightly smiled while meeting his student's gaze.

"Do not worry Daniel. As I said before, it worked out then and so will this, but only if you try."

"I guess..." Danny sighed dramatically, letting Clockwork know that he was definitely in a better mood. "I guess I should probably be getting back home then, since there's really nothing else I can do here..." Clockwork nodded while flying with Danny towards the Clock Tower's entrance.

"Come back any time you wish Daniel, you know you are always welcome in my Clock Tower." Danny sighed before nodding, heading out the door before calling out a quick thanks. Clockwork smiled and watched him for a few seconds before wondering how long it would take him to figure out his next problem.

X

Danny called forth his invisibility just before he entered his parent's portal, not wanting to get shot at after all that he had been through in such a short time. He wasn't exactly sure just how long he had been gone per se, since in his defense time _was _a little hard to tell in the Ghost Zone.

Poking his head out he warily looked around the lab, sighing thankfully when he saw the lab was still dark and no one was waiting for him with heavy guns or a Fenton Thermos. "Wonder if anyone is up yet..." Danny muttered to himself while phasing through the floors and looking around the rooms, where he had yet to see anyone.

He finally made it to his room and saw that the reason no one was up yet was because the sun was _just _now starting to rise. Glancing at his clock he saw that it was nearing seven, which meant his mom or sister would be coming to _wake _him in about ten minutes or so.

So much for getting some sleep.

Shaking his head, and realizing he still hadn't finished all his homework, Danny called forth his transformation rings. He was a little startled when he saw that they were black instead of the usual white but just chalked that up to one of the after effects of getting the Guardian wings. Once the transformation was complete he still felt a little worried, although he wasn't too sure why.

At that point he caught sight of his mirror.

The first thing he noticed was his hair. Instead of all black it now had a single white stripe that ran right down the middle of his hair, which would be a little difficult to explain to his parents. The second thing, and the most obvious, was he now had black-tipped white Guardian wings. In his human form.

He supposed that he hadn't been warned of this because Ghostwriter, er, Andrew, wouldn't have known. He was sure there had never been another half-human Guardian. As for why Clockwork hadn't warned him...well, that was probably because Danny's panicking over things like this amused him to no end.

"Oh I am _so _dead."

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Que was the ghost of cliffhangers in my opinion. I do so hope I'm holding up to her original story awesomeness. So, I hoped you enjoy. The next chapter will be out soon.

I probably shouldn't be updating these so soon...but! After chapter six the story is gonna take longer to upload, because I won't have an outline this time. So enjoy the frequent updates while you can.

Oh yes, the name Andrew Riter belongs to theOtherGhostwriter on here. Her stories are amazing and her headcannon has been accepted. *nods* Clockwise, and Dusk, belong to xwocketx on deviantart. She makes AMAZING OCs and does even more amazing art. I recommend her comic Nocturnal. You will like it... Yeah. You'll like it. Bye bye!


	4. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

**Another Chapter Edit Update. I'll be honest, I didn't change to much on this. It was mostly grammar issues I changed, maybe added a sentence or two. Still. I did change the song. It's the same song just in different...tempo. It serves a dual purpose. One, you get to hear awesome music. Two...**

**I may end up converting some of you into Bronies and Pegasisters... **

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=qVCFV7jT9ho - Make sure you watch the video that goes with the song, then you can come back and read the story...I do wonder if you all follow these links sometimes. XD**

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Okay, so who is excited for the new chapter? Did you think I had forgotten ya for a while? Well I did. I have a World of WarCraft addiction... fF you play then message Taryani of the Alliance on the Hyjal server. That game needs more fangirls/fanboys of the Danny Phantom variety. XD **(This hasn't changed. Please mail me...that games NEEDS more DP fans.)**

So, this chapter was actually pretty fun to do once I got into it. I can't wait to start on the next chapter because it's Clockwork's fighting scene. And man...Que and I have got some surprises in store for you! Like, oh my god, you all are gonna be so shocked! And thanks to HalloweenHowl who said my writing was amazing, it was what made me want to write this chapter right away. He/She is also #1 reviewer. Although you all are so amazing it killed a part of my soul to pick just a number one... Yeah. Killed it!

So enjoy!

Disclaimer : It's habit by now that I put this...the day I own Danny Phantom I will purchase my own TV station and make new episodes to air, and Phantom Planet will be erased from the Earth. FOREVER! **(When I get my Mind Control devices working I'll erase that horrible atrociousness from the minds as well.)**

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**Chapter Four**

X

"Yep. I am _definitely _dead... There's no freaking way I can explain _wings_! I mean..._wings?! _What the hell Clockwork?! You couldn't have mentioned this earlier?!" He was pretty sure that right now there was a laughing Master of Time hidden away in the Ghost Zone.

Danny just couldn't believe it. He had just found out he was Guardian of the whole freaking _Ghost Zone_, which came with a fate that could mean death and strange freaky wings, and now this. He was in his human form, but there was a slight problem with that... HE SILL HAD THE FREAKING WINGS!

"Okay Fenton, deep, _deep _breathes, just like Jazz taught you..." Danny muttered, doing his best to contain the urgent need to hyperventilate. "I'm sure there is a way where you can hide your wings and no one will notice them. Something..." Danny muttered. Before he could really think of anything though he heard a faint ringing sound from a few doors down. Which could only mean one thing...

His parents were now awake.

"Oh I am so screwed," Danny groaned while running a hand through his now striped hair and feeling the urge to bang his head against something. Preferably something hard that would make him forget the last few hours, or knock him unconscious. Either one worked at this point.

A few more seconds of ringing later and he heard a loud blast of what was _definitely _an ecto-cannon, curtsey of his dad and his hatred of alarms in all shapes and forms. "Crap." The teen's eyes darted around his room for a few seconds before he jumped towards his closet, a sudden, yet stupid, idea taking form.

"Danny, time to wake up!" Danny panicked even more as he heard his mom walk towards his door, getting ready to open it. Grabbing the thing he had been looking for Danny quickly closed his eyes and concentrated on closing his wings as tightly as possible. He was surprised when he saw that they closed together with a small click and hovered directly over his back. One small mercy he supposed. "Oh! You're already up? Usually I have to drag you from bed."

"Yeah, well, I guess I was just, uh, well-rested," Danny nervously grinned while facing his mother, hoping to God his plan had worked like he had wanted it to.

"Well, breakfast will be ready in a few, oh, where did you get that jacket? It's so adorable!" The youngest Fenton slightly grinned at his mom's enthusiasm while nervously tugging at the ends of the large black jacket he was wearing, which seemed to be two sizes too big for him.

"Oh, well, I've had it for a while. I think it was a gift from Sam a year ago...or something..." Nodding his mother smiled, then slowly frowned. Danny almost had a heart-attack, thinking she had somehow seen his wings. He wouldn't put it past her, she could sniff out something ghost-related from a mile away.

"Sweetie...what did you do to your hair?" Danny looked confused out of his mind before it suddenly hit him. He still had that stupid white strip in his hair.

"Oh! That! Well, you see, it's a really funny story. Like..._really _funny..." At the look he got from his mom he figured he had better learn to lie quicker, and soon. "I...lost a bet! With Sam and Tucker! They, uh, had me bleach it a bit...but it does look pretty cool!" At that point Danny was about to break down, but his mom just smiled and shook her head, crossing her arms for good measure.

"Well, as cool as it is, you really should have asked your father...well, me, before getting that done," Danny nodded, still looking nervous and hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't ask what the bet was. Maddie just chalked the nervousness up to the fact that her son was worried how they would have reacted upon learning about the stripe. Honestly, she had dealt with this before, mostly with Jack.

The White Stripes had been a failure waiting to happen in her opinion.

"Okay dear, breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes, so go ahead and get ready," Maddie grinned before stepping out and closing the door. Danny watched the door for a few more seconds, making sure no one else would come in, before almost collapsing in relief. He really couldn't believe that had actually worked.

"Well, now that the wings are taken care of-" Danny suddenly stopped talking as he felt a chill run down his back for a split second before disappearing. He had a really bad feeling about that. Turning to look in the mirror, although really not wanting to, he saw his image. He really did his best not to groan in total and absolute despair.

"I. Am. So. Doomed," Danny mumbled, looking numbly at the bright white wings that contrasted so much against the black leather jacket he had on over his pajamas. Danny could have _sworn _the wings were mocking him, even if he wasn't sure how yet.

The wings were still folded up against his back but they had now phased through the jacket...at least he knew he could wear clothes on his back without them getting in the way of his wings. That was a plus!

Danny was about to have a nervous break-down as he ran towards his bag, digging his phone out and speeding through his contacts. Hopefully one of his friends would have an idea on what to do, since he had school and all today... He should probably call Sam first. Tucker would just laugh for the first half hour. Loudly.

X

"This is so weird...even for you..." Sam muttered while staring at the bright white wings on Danny's back. Danny was looking like a nervous wreck, which meant he was looking over his shoulder every few seconds in paranoia. He could have sworn someone was watching them, even if Sam and Tucker said no one was there. Sure the mansion was empty and his ghost sense hadn't activated.

Yet he could tell _someone _was there.

"Danny, chill. No one is gonna come in. Everyone in Sam's house is off on some trip or something, remember?" Tucker did his best to calm his friend down but Danny was still a nervous wreck. Tucker guessed it had something to do with the fact that he had become responsible for both worlds in one night. Sure, before he had been kinda responsible for them, but now it was _permanent._

"So...you have no clue what these things are even for?" Sam asked, still studying the wings which were only half-folded now. Danny glanced at her before shaking his head, almost leaning back into the couch before stopping himself.

"No, but An-uh, Ghostwriter, made them seem like they were really important in the Guardian's, uh, work I guess..." Danny looked uncomfortable explaining so Sam just nodded. Tucker on the other hand was having fun with this situation. Or at least, as much fun as he could have when his best friend was so miserable.

"Well, in ghost form you're the Grim Reaper. But this way you're an Angel! You truly are a harbinger of death, aren't you dude?" Danny was trying to turn invisible again and Sam was slipping off her boot so she could throw it at Tucker's head. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Jeez, learn to take a- Sorry! I was just- oh hey, who's the Ghostwriter again? That guy who stuck you in that Christmas poem, right?"

"Well, yeah, but he's pretty cool once you get to know him, and, uh, not destroy his books," Danny mumbled the last bit, scratching the back of his head. He still felt a little guilty over that incident, once he learned how protective the ghost was over his books. Although, the elder had said that the rewrite had been much better than the original.

Sam chuckled behind her hand at Danny's blushing while Tucker just shook his head sadly. "No way dude, anyone who makes you rhyme like that is pure evil." Danny just rolled his eyes before fingering the few strands of white hair that was falling in his face.

"So, chances of the others ignoring my new hair style?" Danny asked skeptically, looking between his two best friends. Sam looked hesitant to say anything while Tucker just looked amused.

"I don't have to be a math genius to tell you that your chances are very, _very _low." Danny sighed before resting his chin on his hands, looking absently at the dark purple walls. He swore he saw little black bats hiding in the paint. It wouldn't surprise him if that was true anyways.

"Okay, the hair issue can wait, what we need to worry about now are the wings. I'm pretty sure that those are way more noticeable than your little hair stripe," Sam sighed while looking back towards said wings. Danny nodded while looking depressed. "You said they keep phasing through your clothes, right?"

"I swear I didn't think I was gonna make it through breakfast the way things were going. Jazz is back visiting for a few days so she was able to cover for me through most of it but there was a second at the end where Dad almost spotted them." Tucker looked up at this, slightly grinning.

"Considering you're still here I'm guessing he just thought they were an awesome jacket design?" Danny ruefully grinned while nodding, his wings drifting apart a little more now that he wasn't concentrating. "So how are we gonna keep them from being noticed?"

"I'm not sure..." Sam muttered while lightly touching one of the feather tips. None of them were expecting Danny to yelp and jump away from the girl, backing up into the corner of the room. Apparently he could also fly in his human form when given the right motivation.

"Uh, you alright there, bro?" Tucker raised an eyebrow while Sam just leaned over the back of the couch to look at Danny. Said super-hero teen was currently pressed against the wall and looking scared out of his mind. The two thought he looked very much like a frightened cat. The teen was slowly coming back to his senses but his friends knew to stay away from him until then.

Three years of ghost hunting could really take their toll on someone.

"Wha-? Uh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Danny shivered a little, the wings finally starting to spread out a little after being clamped together so suddenly. "Just, uh, could you please not do that again? Please?" Sam seriously almost went into girly mode at seeing the adorable look on Danny's face. Sure she no longer had romantic feelings for him but it was still such a cute look.

Like a lost puppy.

"Uh, sure. Is there a reason why I'm not allowed to touch you're awesome looking wings?" Sam grinned while asking, causing Tucker to scoff and Danny to roll his eyes. The teen was now mostly back to normal, and was walking back over to where they were sitting.

"It, uh, kinda burned..." Danny muttered, plopping down in an armchair and looking nervous. Sam's look seemed to convince him to continue. "Basically it felt like you had just set them on fire." Sam winced while Tucker grimaced.

"That does sounds pretty painful," Tucker muttered, Danny nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, it is. So can we please agree to never touch the wings again?"

"Okay Danny, we promise we won't touch your wings. But we still need to figure out how to hide them before school starts. You can't just keep them intangible or invisible all day..."

"Well...actually he could..." Tucker trailed off, Sam looking in his direction while Danny just kept looking down at this shoes in despair. "It would be pretty exhausting but the last time we took a reading of his power levels it showed he would be able to do something like that without collapsing."

"Tucker, no. He'd be exhausted and paranoid to the max by the end of the day," Sam frowned, looking serious before glancing back over at Danny. He was still staring at the ground. "Although I can't think of much else... Don't suppose you have a ghost-proof jacket at home, do you?" Danny almost grinned at the question while looking back up.

"I don't think we have anything like that but I'm sure if you gave my parents the idea they would actually make one." Although knowing them it would end up being a hazmat suit instead of a jacket. Sam grinned while Tucker let out a laugh. A few seconds of silence later and all three stood up.

"Well... Guess there's nothing to do but to hide the wings all day," Tucker looked over towards Danny, who frowned before nodding, turning the wings intangible so the jacket would fit over them. "Although you might get more heat over the jacket than the hair."

"Thanks Tuck, for making me remember about my crazy hair, that really helps," Danny growled while passing the techno-geek and walking towards the front door. Tucker looked confused while Sam had to hold back her laughter. An annoyed Danny was a very fun Danny. At least, funner than the _last _fun Danny they had...

Danny hated the Ghost Catcher more than anything.

X

It was a testament to just how strange Amity Park was that no one even bothered to look when two men dressed in white suits flew down from the sky on jet-packs. The townsfolk were just that used to the strange and unnatural, especially after Mayor Vlad's initiation into office. Actually...how did he even get into office if no one wanted to vote for him?

"Well?" one of the men asked while looking around the town, his sunglasses reflecting the morning light. The man beside him frowned while staring at a beeping scanner that was held in his hands.

"The ghost was definitely around this area!" the man replied after a moment's hesitation. He suddenly looked up from the scanner, grinning widely. "The ghost is heading towards Casper High at a steady pace." The other man nodded before the two turned their jet-packs back on and jumped into the air.

"What exactly are we going to do when we manage to find it?" Agent K asked while avoiding a large building. "The ghost tagged as _Phantom _has proven impossible to catch, let alone effectively track before." Agent O monitored the readouts on the scanner he was still holding.

"Not to worry Agent K, the Guys in White never would have issued us here if they weren't prepared for this. Besides, the ghost's power levels keep fluctuating in power, sometimes almost disappearing completely. It's lead researchers back at HQ to think he's injured, or at least weakened. Capture shouldn't be a problem this time." Agent K nodded while the two headed closer to the school.

"Besides Agent K, we have the new Ecto-Tranq-Cannon! I can't think of a better way to field test this thing than to use it on Danny Phantom, can you?"

"Not at all," Agent K laughed while Agent O grinned and turned back down to his scanner. "That ghost is gonna be in for a _burning _surprise when we find him.

X

Clockwork looked at his mirrors in concern as he watched events play out. Danny's power shouldn't be fluctuating like this, not so soon after he had acquired his new Guardian powers. He had never even foreseen this possibility... For something to elude the Master of Time, not to mention the Guardian of it, meant someone or some_thing _was blocking his sight.

"Daniel may have been right..." the now child-formed Clockwork muttered, clutching the staff, "We may _all _be in for a rough couple of months..." What Clockwork was more concerned with right now however was Danny's power levels. Normally Danny was impossible to track in human form but his powers were making his ectoplasmic signature light up like a firework. The agents shouldn't have been able to pick up on it if they were standing next to him, let alone from across town.

Clockwork frowned again before changing to his elderly form and looking towards another mirror, trying to find a solution to a problem he hadn't expected. Hopefully he'd be able to figure something out, improvisation wasn't one of his strong suits. There was a reason he got so cross when Clockwise had teased him about being unable to see the future.

"Hm...a more _direct _approach might just be in order..."

X

The trio of friends were currently sitting in their third period Math class and were all staring up at the teacher, who was being more boring than usual. It had been a little over three hours since school started and Danny was by now a nervous wreck. He was looking over his shoulder every few seconds and twitching every time someone so much as moved an inch or breathed loudly.

Even Tucker didn't have the heart to tease him as he was.

"Danny!" The boy's head jerked up as his eyes flicked over to Sam, who had hissed his name. She looked, if possible, more worried than she had been this morning. "Calm down," she whispered soothingly, "Everything will be fine. You're safe here, remember?" Danny stared at her for a few seconds before nodding jerkily and turning back to stare at the front of the classroom.

Sam frowned when she saw that Danny hadn't even relaxed an ounce. If anything he looked even more keyed up. The only good thing about today was that Dash had been so freaked out by Danny's paranoia that he didn't even bother to make fun of his hair or jacket, let alone give the teen a swirly.

"Dude, you're freaking out way too much," Tucker muttered while looking up from his PDA under the desk where he was playing a ghost-hunting game he had created. He planned on waiting until he was eighteen then producing it world-wide and making a bucket load of money.

The fact he would become instantly famous was just a bonus.

"The worst that could happen is that everyone figures out you're actually Danny Phantom and then you're parents come in here, shooting their weapons and- Ouch! What was that for?" Tucker hissed while rubbing his arm where Sam had hit him, hard. She had been trying to stop Tucker from being reassuring but the damage had already been done. Danny had just gone from paranoid to ghost paranoid.

Which meant if he got so much as an inkling that there was a danger around him he would go crazy and transform into Phantom right there and then. Sam and Tucker were really hoping that there would be no ghost attacks today. The last thing they needed was a crazed and paranoid Danny Phantom with wings flying around.

"And so, if you take the decimal here and move it..." Danny tried really hard to pay attention to the teacher, honestly he did. The second he did though he felt his wings start to slip and went right back to concentrating on keeping them closed and under the jacket. So what if he didn't get what they were teaching today and failed tonight's homework. It wouldn't be the first time. And really, one more F wouldn't kill his Math grade of an already F.

His parents and Jazz were gonna murder him...

Just as Danny started thinking about the many ways his parents would kill him, a sudden cracking sound was heard, like that of wood being broken. A few seconds later and the classroom door was flying through the air, hitting the glass dead center and tumbling out of the window. Sam and Tucker looked towards Danny who had tensed up and was a second away from calling on his transformation, especially when his ghost sense went off.

A sudden growling noise followed by a spooky howl instantly set all the students off, causing them to scream and jump up. Danny instantly relaxed though. There were only two ghosts he knew that would growl and howl, and both of them were his friends. The question was what were they doing here at his school.

"Dude...is that...Wulf?" Tucker gaped as the giant ghost came tearing through the classroom, looking fierce before howling again. A second later all the students, plus the teacher, were heading towards the back door. "What's up with him."

"Amiko! Kuru! Danĝero venas!" Sam and Danny looked a little lost for a few seconds but Tucker instantly jumped up and pulled his two friends into the crowd of students, looking worried.

"Tucker! What are you-"

"Friend! Run! Danger comes!" Tucker panted while pushing through to the middle of the crowd now that all the students were in the middle of a ghost evacuation. All three knew that if something bad was about to go down then getting singled out was the worst thing that could happen. Especially if it was bad enough that Wulf had warned them. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Wonder what the danger is that even Wulf is worried," Sam muttered while looking concerned and running to keep up with her friends. Danny nodded in agreement, all while trying to keep his wings beneath the jacket. It was hard to concentrate on it when there was so much yelling and screaming. Hopefully he could learn to control this to where it would be second nature to him...

The students finally made it outside, the teachers counting their students and debating on whether or not to call the Fentons. Lancer was firmly against it, and Danny had to agree with him. The last thing he needed was his parents here. The three were still wondering what the danger Wulf had warned them over was when they suddenly spotted it, and groaned.

The Guys in White.

They saw that it was the usual agents, the two that were always after Danny Phantom. And always failed. Sam relaxed instantly while Tucker almost laughed at the false alarm. Danny however stayed on alert. Wulf never sent false alarms. He knew when there was actual danger, and he wouldn't have warned Danny if he thought he could have handled it easily.

Looking closer Danny saw that the two were examining a scanner, which instantly had Danny worried. Scanner plus ghost hunter equaled a screwed Danny. What the teen was more worried about however was the large cannon one of the agents had slung over his back. It looked more like a freaking harpoon gun than an ecto cannon. He could even see the razor-sharp tip glimmering at the end.

"Wow...that thing wouldn't be fun to get hit by..." Tucker muttered, also noticing the cannon. Sam nodded in agreement while Danny just clutched the ends of his jacket even tighter. He had enough experience with his parent's weapons to know that getting hit by that thing wouldn't be just a minor injury. It would be a very bad one.

_Very _bad.

"Well, at least Wulf got away," Sam sighed in relief while looking around, not seeing or hearing the ghost anywhere. Danny noticed she was right and was grateful, he would have hated for Wulf to get caught just for coming to warn him. A sudden movement from above them caused all three to instantly look up. Years of hunting _ghosts_, who could fly, made you weary of anything coming from the sky.

It turned out the Guys in White were flying towards the mass of students and were trying their best to look as professional as possible. "Everyone please remain calm and stay where you are! We have strong reason to believe one of you is being overshadowed by a powerful and evil ghost!"

Danny and Tucker almost laughed at how stupid the two agents were while the whole crowd just stared at the flying agents for a moment. Once that moment was over the chaos broke out. Complete pandemonium enveloped the student body as they all ran away from the school. Teachers were trying to restore order, well, a few of them. Most of them were running away with the students.

The three teens grinned widely as they followed the largest group of students. They could always leave it up to the Guys in White to completely screw up any plan they were trying to accomplish. Tucker was the one who first noticed that they were following their group of students.

"Uh, guys, I think we may have a problem." Both Sam and Danny looked back before cursing, Sam's a tad bit more course than Danny's. Tucker was sure Sam could make a sailor blush what with all the swear words she knew. "I thought they couldn't track you when you're human!"

"They're not supposed to!" Danny shouted back while rounding a corner with some other students. "Only my parent's weapons are sensitive enough to pick me up when I'm not in ghost mode, and that's because mom is a genius when it comes to electronics!"

Danny expected for Sam to say something snarky, then Tucker to respond, then Sam to yell at him. When he heard nothing but the student's yells, and not his friends, he looked back. They were gone... Danny cursed to himself as he realized the group must have been split up what with all the jostling around due to the running crowd.

"Just my luck," Danny muttered before looking around and ducking into a nearby alleyway, separating himself from the heard of scared students. "Now what..." Danny muttered, cursing again as he caught sight of the agents. He supposed his best bet was to go ghost and get away from them. At least then they wouldn't be able to figure out he was half-human.

Quickly calling forth his transformation Danny closed his eyes and phased through the ground. He would rather not run into the idiots twoj who were buzzing around through the air. The half-ghost sighed before zooming through the sewers, traveling over what must have been a few miles. He took a few more moments before phasing out of the sewers and landing in the alleyway behind the Nasty Burger.

"Man that was close...I'll have to find some way to hide my signature now..." Danny mused while looking at the sky, which was clear of annoying Guys in White agents. "Suppose I'll have to head home and figure some...thing...out..." Danny blinked as he caught sight of himself in the Nasty Burger window. He blinked and then looked again. The image was still there.

"Oh you have _got _to be kidding me... Clockwork...when I get out of this mess I am _so _going to kill you..."

He wasn't surprised to see the wings or purple cloak, those he had expected. His wings were fanned out behind him, no longer closed as they had been earlier, and giving off a faint black and green glow, which just made the cloak look that much creepier. Well, Sam would have thought it was cool.

No, the thing that surprised him was that his old hazmat suit was different. Very, _very _different... For starters there were now three white stripes stretched around his side from the back. There were a few inches between each one, giving it a slight rib-cage like effect. Danny couldn't help but think sarcastically that it looked very modern-day Grim Reaper. Green stripes, which he was _sure _was a Ghost Zone theme, tapered off the white that went down to his elbow. The white and green tapered effect did the same on his wrist, which made it look like bracers.

His collar was now gone, leaving only a strip of white behind. His hands also were now no longer white but as black as his suit. He also looked down at his legs and saw a large stripe of white on both sides wrapped around the outer edge, green stripes edging the top and inner edge. His boots were also now black, just a strip of white on the very bottom like with the collar.

He was positive Clockwork was very much amused now.

_**(acer-kaze deviantart com/gallery/38193510#/d37q6ui)**_

Although...even though he would _never _admit it, _ever_... This look did look better than the last one. This one made him look older, more Guardian worthy, while the last one had made him look younger than he really was, even with his new muscle definition. Sam had been the one who had been wanting to change his old look so he figured she would be most happy with the change.

Shaking his head Danny stepped back from the window, his wings drooping a bit with the motion. He was almost ready to call forth his transformation rings and change back to human when he caught sight of the Guys in White. Danny cursed harshly under his breath and promised himself that he was going to destroy them one day. And it would be on complete accident too. Granted he would feel bad later, but still, he would so kill them. They were just too annoying.

Danny jumped in the air and was about to speed away when one of the agents abruptly cut him off. He paused in mid-air, about to go straight back into the sewers when a sudden and red hot pain exploded from his right shoulder, burning the whole area. He knew he wasn't on fire but it sure as hell felt like it. He cursed as he turned around to look behind him, seeing a smoking gun and a grinning agent.

He had forgotten about the second one.

Acting instinctively from his long ghost-fighting career Danny instantly went intangible and dove into the ground, his legs forming into a tail as he tried to get away as fast as possible. His only thought was that hopefully his cloak would repair itself when he switched to human and back. He would really rather not explain to Ghostw- uh, Andrew, why there was a gaping hole in it.

Danny finally surfaced from the ground in the middle of some woods, one hand clutching the harpoon shaft that was jutting from his shoulder. If he had bothered to look he would have noticed that he had flown nearly twenty miles in just a few short minutes, which was a new record for him.

"This...isn't too good..." Danny mumbled as he floated to the ground, his tail curling up under him as his cloak surround him. The harpoon was close to a foot and a half long and an inch wide, which made for a lot of pain. He just barely took notice of the burning feeling that was slowly spreading from his shoulder to the rest of his body. The world was blurring and spinning as he collapsed the rest of the way to the ground.

His only thought was that this he had definitely been poisoned.

* * *

I love cliffhangers. I especially love cliffhangers where you know what's coming next, and no one else does. But you all kinda know what's coming next, at least those of you who have already read Que's story... Hope ya enjoyed! The next chapter will be out in a few days. You can survive until then I think.


	5. The Guardian

**And we are now on Chapter Five! I changed the song again, because the last one didn't seem to really fit right... I find instrumental music is best when reading/writing a fight scene, and this music/video I found is PERFECT! I think you guys are gonna like it! Not only is there an awesome video to go with the song but the song is a perfect choice! Enjoy!**

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=egPR5MuE7u0**

**Don't forget to watch the video when you get a chance, it's really good!**

* * *

Okay, so not as long as the last chapters, but it's a fight scene, so give me a break. Please?

So here's Chapter 5, with a few picture links for you guys! Yay! So, this was actually pretty fun to do, especially since Clockwork using a sword is my new headcannon. If you don't know what that word is then you need to read some more fanfiction. Now. I mean, like, right now! So start with this!

Disclaimer : ...Nothing need be said.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**X**

Danny let out a small groan and slowly blinked his eyes open as he looked around, which felt like the hardest thing he had ever done. His head was killing him and everything he saw had a fuzzy gray tint to it, or was it black... All he knew right now was that it looked like he was in the park. At least, he thought it was, since there were trees...they looked like trees anyways. Sorta. A little... They were either trees or huge green lollipops.

"Nngh..." Danny groaned again as he tried to sit up, dizziness immediately overcoming him and forcing him to lay back down. He couldn't even think in words anymore, it was just a haze of confusion and pain. He looked around again only to see a large spike protruding out of his arm, which was where the center of his pain was...he should probably get that out...

Two seconds later and he realized that pulling it out had been a very bad idea.

The teen's screams could be heard echoing throughout the entire forest as he clutched his shoulder in pain. The newly opened wound was sluggishly dripping ectoplasmic blood, which Danny took to mean a very bad thing. He was just grateful no one was around to fight him, that would make things even-

"Ha! You nailed him Agent O!" Danny would have groaned in annoyance if he had been just a little more coherent. He also would have muttered about how the Guys in White would always be the bane of his existence. Dead or otherwise. He was about to get up and fly away again when another harpoon tore open his arm, the same one as before, causing him to let out another scream of agony. "Probably should have this thing calibrated again or- Whoa!"

Both agents jumped back when they saw the ghost boy suddenly lunge at them, looking more feral than any ghost they had ever seen, even that wolf one! The boy was snarling and slightly crouched, looking like he was about to attack again, which he promptly did. Wicked-sharp talons made of green ectoplasmic energy slowly encased his fingers and hand, forming a type of glove, as he lunged towards the two men, who fled into the air once they saw the ghost was attacking them again.

This was something they had not been prepared for.

The harpoon that had hit Danny, twice, was meant to knock ghosts unconscious for up to twelve hours at a time depending on their power level. They _might _have expected something like this happening to them if they had known Danny Phantom was _also _Danny Fenton, meaning he was half-_human_. The sedative meant for ghosts had a slightly different effect on half-ghosts.

"Agent K, we might have to call in back up on this one..." Agent O muttered as they watched the ghost dart into the air, wings extended and gloved-talons, now on both hands, glowing fiercely. They had never expected something like this to happen, since Phantom had _never _attacked a human before, no matter what they did. The Fentons could attest to that. Little did they know that Danny _Fenton _was the one who never attacked humans, and he was now delirious and confused, meaning Phantom was running on pure instinct.

And there was one instinct that every living creature had, and that was to fight-or-flight. Danny had never been the type to fly when confronted, so that meant when faced with two people attacking him when he was as close to unconscious as could get, he would fight. Viciously and without remorse. He would eliminate the threat.

By whatever means were necessary.

"Eat this Phantom!" Agent O grunted while lifting the heavy gun and firing repeatedly. Danny's wings flared open even further while the red crystals on his wings glowed brilliantly, a thick shield forming a complete circle around him. The ghost's eyes followed and watched passively as the harpoons ricocheted of the shield and embedded in a few nearby trees, one even causing a tree to explode. "Uh...that wasn't supposed to happen..."

Both agents let out squeaks of fear as Danny's eyes snapped back up to them as his shield dropped and he charged forward, snarling as his claws sliced through the gun like it was a piece of wet tissue paper. It was at that point that they were officially wishing they had brought more weapons. And some back-up. And an army.

Agent O dropped what was left of the gun, which wasn't much, with a quick curse, turning his jet pack on full power and making a hasty retreat away from the enraged ghost in front of him. Agent K quickly followed his lead and soon the two were quickly flying away from Danny Phantom at their top speed, which wasn't fast enough in their opinions.

"Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea," muttered Agent K as he flew beside Agent O, who turned to glare at his partner in annoyance. Agent K was pretty sure he was about to get a mouthful full of angry ranting but the enraged shriek behind them made both agents shut up and try to get the jet packs to go even faster.

They glanced back to see that the rage-filled shriek had turned into a full-on blast of the ghostly wail, which had now leveled a fairly good sized portion of the forest they had just been in. They were also pretty sure by now that Danny Phantom was going to tear them into tiny and little shreds.

After breathing deeply for a few seconds, due to ingrained human habit, Danny shot off into the air after the agents, who were heading towards the center of the city like the idiots they were. If he had control over himself he would have gone home, or even back to the Ghost Zone, but as it was right now he only had one thought driving him forward.

Destroy.

X

Clockwork muttered a few good curses, in various extinct languages, under his breath while glaring at the viewing screens in front of him. Even he hadn't predicted that Danny would have been able to use his new powers as he had so soon. Ghostly talons that encased his whole hand? Encompassing barriers from his Guardian wings? Things like that should have taken him months, or even a year, to learn...

"Daniel always has been quick to learn new things..." Clockwork mused, all while flicking through several versions of the future. He frowned since seeing was getting harder and harder to do, and he still had no idea just what was blocking his sight. He was bound to see something about it eventually, but for now he had to get to Danny, who was sinking even further into his delirium.

The Guardian of Time cursed once more as he saw that none of the other ghosts or ghost hunters would be able to even scratch Danny as he was in his current condition. Even without the Guardian's scythe, the source of the Guardian's main powers, he was still far more powerful than any normal ghost or human. Clockwork sighed as he lifted a hand and opened a portal, figuring there was only one thing he could do to stop Danny.

Hopefully the boy would understand when he actually returned to his senses.

"CLOCKWORK!" The Master of Time almost growled as he heard the yelling of a voice that he had grown to loathe. They hated how he didn't follow their every command like Clockwise had, well, that and the pranks he had pulled as a child. Honestly, one onion bomb and suddenly you're marked for the rest of your afterlife. Stupid floating eyeballs. "You must take care of that boy once and for all! He is now more than ever...a...threat..." The Observant speaking trailed off as both he and the other Observant floated back a little bit.

They had been startled by the pure venom in the ghost's gaze, and the inaudible growl, that was directed solely at them. Shaking their heads to try and clear them the second Observant spoke this time. "If you do not deal with that boy then he will lay waste to the Ghost Zone just as his future self did! Not to mention what would happen to the human world he resides in!"

Clockwork's eye twitched as he used every ounce of control to refrain from snarling at the two imbeciles in front of him. That would just be undignified and go against everything Clockwise had taught him about keeping his calm. Sure they were stretching his already stretched thin patience...but... He was sure there was a reasonable solution to this where he could both help Danny and appease the Observants. "You must kill that menace!"

Calm be damned.

The two Observants watched in shock as the ever present illusion of Clockwork's shifting forms faded from him for the first time in ages, his true form, which was around his mid-twenties, showing and shocking both of the Observants. Sure they had known him as a little boy, but they didn't think he had grown this much! The dropping of the illusion had also caused a small amount of unrestrained power which pushed back his hood and showed his stark white hair.

_**(acer-kaze deviantart com/gallery/#/d55ikgs)**_

"W-What are you- I didn't know you could change your staff into a sword..." Clockwork concentrated as a rush of energy flowed from his core and straight through to his staff, turning it into it's second from, which for him was a rapier-like sword. It had been a scythe for Clockwise, and the former Master of Time had tried to teach the younger how to use them, but...

Let's just say he was better with a sword.

_**(acer-kaze deviantart com/gallery/?q= % 20hantom#/d38gcru)**_

"Clockwork...why do you have that look? What are you- Argh!" Clockwork merely smiled as the two Observants fled his tower, screaming in pure and utter terror. Honestly...he had barely even nicked them, they hadn't even been bleeding! Much.

Shaking his head Clockwork lightly snorted before turning back to the screen just to time to see what happened next. Danny had just been blasted back by one of the agent's back-up ecto cannons. Clockwork felt himself pale for the first time in ages as he watched Danny come back up, his eyes now completely blank as he snarled towards the two humans, who might just become ghosts very soon if Clockwork didn't step in and do something.

"Andrew was indeed right, Daniel..." Clockwork muttered as he jumped in the air and flew straight towards the portal he had opened. "Strange things do indeed seem to happen to you."

X

Danny snarled as he flew towards the agent, his claws ready to tear the man into small little strips. The ghost was therefore surprised when instead of hitting flesh and bone the talons clicked off of a sharp metal surface. Danny hissed at the interruption, eyes narrowing as he snarled and tried to push the ghost that had gotten in his way backwards.

"Daniel! You have to snap out of this!" Clockwork yelled, trying to get Danny to wake up out of his drug induced rage, to little avail. The elder ghost titled his body and sword and watched as Danny's ghost talons slid off and away from him. Spinning quickly in the air, and using his momentum, Clockwork put as much force as he could without permanently hurting the boy into slamming the flat of his blade against the ghost's head.

Phantom let out a little noise of annoyance before slashing at Clockwork again, slipping past him as the elder ghost flew back to avoid the talons. Cursing Clockwork shot after Danny, now knowing for sure what he had to do to get the boy to stop. He knew slamming his blade on the boy's head wouldn't have worked but it was worth trying.

The only way to stop him meant the boy was going to be in pain for quite some time.

Clockwork quickly manipulated time to get ahead of the boy before blasting him with a quick burst of an ecto ray. While it wasn't powerful enough to do any real damage it did accomplish what it was meant to, getting his attention. Danny eyed Clockwork for a second before darting towards him, talons extended and eyes narrowed. Clockwork managed to catch one hand, knocking it back before quickly moving and blocking the left.

"Apologies Daniel, but I've been practicing swords for a _very _long time. You're not going to defeat me that easily," Clockwork smirked. If Danny had understood him he hadn't shown it since he had just snarled again. Clockwork was about to try to disable the boy before he saw the red crystals on the wings glowing again. Cursing Clockwork tried to disengage, only to be slammed back by a pure blast of energy. "Delirious and almost unconscious and he still learns new things every day..."

If he wasn't so worried or annoyed he would have been a little proud.

The Guardian of Time shook his head as he floated away from the wall where he had been slammed into, making note that it had felt remarkably nostalgic. Clockwork snorted as he had a quick flashback to one of Clockwise's training sessions with the scythe, which hadn't ended well for the younger.

Shaking his head out of the past Clockwork looked towards Danny, who now had Agent O, the one who had shot him with the cannon, pinned against the side of the building, the boy's talons ready to send the man off to the next world. The man was screaming in terror and Clockwork half-contemplated letting Danny have his way and kill the man. They had started it after all. Sighing Clockwork readjusted his sword while manipulating time again.

A powerful blue ecto-blast threw the boy off of the agent, who quickly used the opportunity to escape after his partner. As much as Clockwork would have loved to see the agents get what they deserved he knew Danny would never forgive him if he had let the boy murder someone. It would be especially bad since the boy had that damn hero-complex of his.

Danny groaned as he got up from the pavement, looking at Clockwork who had touched down on the ground, with his actual legs instead of his ghostly tail, a couple hundred yards away. Danny tensed for a split second before shooting after Clockwork at his fastest speed, which was blocked even faster by the Time Master's blade.

The talons struggled to find purchase but couldn't, meaning Clockwork was able to use the momentum of Danny's speed to twist the boy around, causing him to fly head first into a building. A large building. A large _brick _building. Danny groaned among the rubble and for a second it really sounded like him, so when Clockwork saw that the boy's eyes were still blank he sighed and readied his sword again.

Clockwork's eyes narrowed a fraction when he saw the boy suddenly disappear into thin air. Staying perfectly still and silent he took a deep breath and then quickly whipped around, blocking another hit by Danny. He wasn't quite fast enough however to stop the full blow of the hit. One of the talons managed to get past the sword and had manged to hit the glass that held the clock in his chest, causing a slight crack.

Clockwork suppressed a small noise of pain and instead concentrated on pushing Danny back, which he promptly did. Keeping his guard up he winced as he moved, feeling the full brunt of the damage. _Damn _he had forgotten how much it hurt for that to happen. The ghost watched as the teen charged once more, only to be confused when Clockwork vanished into the air above him.

Sending out a mental apology Clockwork charged his sword with as much energy as he could without seriously harming the boy. Gritting his teeth Clockwork reappeared and brought the sword down on one of Danny's feathers. Hard. Danny froze for a single moment as the energy discharged and sizzled around him. A second later and the boy had let out an agonizing scream that had been even worse than when he had first gotten his wings.

Clockwork flinched at the sound, worried, even as Danny's screams finally tapered off, leaving him in a whimpering semi-conscious heap on the ground. His talons had already disappeared and his wings were now limp, barely even floating in place. Clockwork winced even as his sword changed back into the staff he was now so used to.

"I believe one day I might just kill those two agents for you..." Clockwork muttered while landing on the ground again and bending down to check on Danny, who was quickly changing back into his human form. The elder ghost had hated to do that to the boy, but he hadn't actually injured him in any way. It was just where his wings, being not even a day old, were incredibly sensitive. Clockwork frowned as he noticed that the harpoon wound was still there, even when he was human.

Where bright green blood had been sluggishly flowing now it was a dull red. Cursing Clockwork took the boy's jacket off and used it to wrap the wound, at least enough to ebb the flow of blood a little. After finishing he could see that Danny was now more lucid then he had been just a few minutes ago.

"Wha...Clockwork?" The ghost just smiled sadly as Danny looked around weakly, confused out of his mind at the moment. "What in the world...what did I..."

"Everything is fine Daniel...just go to sleep for now." Danny calmly eyed Clockwork for a moment before slightly inclining his head and closing his eyes. He fell straight asleep since, in his mind, there was nothing to worry about. As long as Clockwork was telling him things were fine and he could go to sleep then he would gladly pass out.

He hadn't gotten enough sleep since he was fourteen, anyways.

"Danny!" Clockwork looked over as Sam and Tucker raced around the corner, looking worried out of their minds and very confused at what was going on. "Hey! Who are...wait...you're Clockwork! What happened?"

"Danny was close to destroying the city just to get to those two foolish agents. I had to stop him myself since he's far too powerful now to be stopped by any other ghost, human, or weapon," Clockwork responded evenly, knowing that Sam always had to have all the facts to start to believe something. She slightly nodded while looking down at Danny.

"Okay, so then what about the screaming? What happened?"

"That was my fault actually," Clockwork spoke up. If he had been as old as he had when he had first started learning under Clockwise he would have been running for the hills. The girl's glares were certainly something to be wary of. "I believe earlier you found out that his wings are rather sensitive at the moment? I merely hit one of the feathers to stop him. I assure you that no actual harm has come to him, besides what was already done by those idiotic Guys in White."

Sam was still unsure about Clockwork, which Danny was always telling them about, well, more like praising, but anyone who hated the Guys in White couldn't be _all _bad. Besides, he had helped Danny out on a number of occasions, so maybe she should give him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. She was about to ask another question when Clockwork picked the boy up gently, careful to avoid the still limp wings.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Tucker asked, still a little intimidated by the last time he had met Clockwork, which had been when he was about to cut Danny in half with a scythe. Clockwork merely glanced over at the two before smiling one of his smiles. They were sure that was the one Danny referred to as the patented _I-know-something-you-don't-know-but-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you _smirk.

"Seeing to his injuries, preferably before any permanent damage is done." The teen was about to ask another question before he blinked and suddenly he and Sam were alone. It took him a moment to figure that the ghost must have frozen time so he could tend to Danny's wounds instead of dealing with him and an anxious Sam, who was quickly growing angry. Tucker was sure she was going to punch someone, and he was also sure he was in the line of fire.

"_Dammit_!"

* * *

Okay, so, in the last Guardian story, Que had some Sam hating going on in there. I never had anything against Sam, and at one point in life I shipped her and Danny, so excuse me for my non-Sam-hating abilities. Que was focusing on Danny _Phantom_. I wanna focus on him _and _Danny Fenton. He may be half-ghost, but he's still half-human after all...for now...

So I hoped you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up in a bit-ish. Like...a few days to a week. My 68 preist on WoW just got to Northrend! I one level away from 69 and a new talent point!

Okay, whoever understood that, please go to the Hyjal realm and friend me, Taryani on the Alliance side. FRIEND ME NOW DAMMIT! *ahem* Bye now! Oh, one more thing!

How do you all feel about OCs?

* * *

**Okay, a few notes before you got to next chapter. Que didn't have any Sam-hating going on, she likes Sam! She just wanted to focus on Phantom since most people focus on Fenton. I have addressed that issue above from least time. So there. **

**Also, thank you all for your responses on OCs. I got some good advice and I plan to make use of it. Don't worry. The OCs won't be overpowering, it still concentrates on Danny and Clockwork and the rest, I just need the OCs for the story to progress and grow. Trust me, you'll love them all. **


	6. Never Let Go

**Oh my god this song has me so tired... I am seriously close to falling back asleep... Still though, it's a great song to listen to for this chapter. This song was Que, so you can thank her for the awesome. XD**

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=k-oU2xKTanY**

**I should also probably mention that if you ever want to fav the video or add it to a playlist or something just take out the repeater part. And vice versa if you're on YT and you want to play a song on repeat. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bum bum be dum bum bum be dum dum. Don't ask, that tune is stuck in my head right now, I think it's from the song Distrubia... *shrug* Okay, so who thought I disappeared into the ether? I did, sorta. World of WarCraft is very addicting... *cough* Okay, sorry about the delay, but here is the next chapter! This story is now caught up with Que's official story!

Speaking of Que, go and give her praise! She is behind this whole thing. We are now a tag-team working to make this thing awesome! She is in charge of plot, I am in charge of detail. So when you review, say thank you. Say it with me now.

Thank you Que.

XD I think she hates that name but I love it. *snicker* Okay, read this then get ready...we have a great surprise coming to you for the next few chapters...things are about to go from so-so straight into plot crazy! Woo! Let's get it started!

Disclaimer : *starts stabbing word disclaimer with knife* Anything you want to say? *holding inky knife*

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**X**

The second Clockwork arrived back at the tower he wasted no time in flying down the hall as quickly as he could to one of the spare guest bedrooms. He wasn't really joking when he told Sam about the permanent injuries the boy could suffer due to that blasted harpoon gun. Gently setting Danny down onto the bed he phased the jacket off the teen, trying to get a closer look at the wound.

It wasn't good.

The edges of the skin were jagged and torn, it even looked like a few pieces of skin were missing. Clockwork was sure he would have been sick if he hadn't seen worse monitoring the time stream, the Huns had been particularly bloodthirsty. That and he grew pretty desensitized after growing up around Dusk... Damn that dream ghost and his crude humor.

"Well Daniel...at least you didn't tear any major muscles..." Clockwork muttered, even though he knew Danny was as deep in sleep as he could go. He did notice that the boy mumbled something before scrunching his eyes and trying to roll over. Clockwork quickly stopped him before he could aggravate the wound further.

Swiftly placing the jacket back over the wound, trying to stem the blood that was still flowing, Clockwork stood up and grabbed his staff. Pressing the top he watched passively as a portal formed in front of him, a menacing aura seeping out. Okay, well, not really, but Clockwork wouldn't have been surprised if one did seep out. The woman he was going to get was certainly evil enough...

Time in Danny's room seemed to stand still since a moment later another portal was opening in the room. Even though it had been a good twenty minutes since Clockwork had left time around Danny barely seemed to have gone forward.

"I really don't see why you had to bring me here Clockwork..." a rude-sounding voice sighed. Said Master of Time just rolled his eyes before stepping aside as a woman stepped out from the portal after him. She was none other than the Ghost Zone's resident psychologist. "I mean really- Oh, is that our cute little Danny? Well...my day just got a little more interesting after all..."

Rolling his eyes yet again Clockwork internally sighed knowing none of this would have come as a shock to Penelope Spectra, after all, she was one of the Ghost Zone's greatest gossips. If something was going on she was sure to know about it, especially if it was something serious or depressing. That woman could sniff out depression from a world away.

"Well well...I guess the rumors of our new Guardian are true...I trust there was a reason you brought me here though?" If it was one thing Clockwork was thankful for it was the fact that Spectra knew when to get right to the point instead of beating around the bush and drawing things out.

Instead of answering Clockwork merely gestured to Danny's shoulder, Spectra following his line of sight before her eyes narrowed. Walking, stalking in Clockwork's opinion, she carelessly lifted the jacket off before tossing it over her shoulder. Raising an eyebrow she looked over at Clockwork, who didn't even bother with a gesture to answer her gaze.

"Looks like his arm was ripped open by a jagged blade," Spectra snorted while opening the bag she had brought with her, at Clockwork's request. Ruffling around she pulled out a few bottles of various liquids and a roll of bandages. "Huh...looks like he was poisoned too..." Spectra muttered while pulling out another bottle and pouring it over the wound.

Clockwork wasn't worried, even with all the bad blood between the two ghosts he knew Spectra wouldn't do anything to seriously harm Danny. Even if he wasn't the new Guardian she still knew better than to hurt someone under _his _protection. It took a few more seconds of working around the shirt before Spectra huffed and just ripped it off, tossing it behind her.

Clockwork just shook his head while watching her work. He may not have agreed with her bedside manners but she was one of the best doctors in the Ghost Zone. Double major in Psychology and Pre-Med looked to have payed off, at least, it was the reason she had been able to make herself a new body a few years ago.

Well, before Danny ruined it with his father's _DNA_.

Spectra poured one last vial of neon purple liquid onto the gaping wound before grabbing the role of bandages and quickly wrapping the shoulder. "He should be fine, especially since he has speed healing from what I've heard." Clockwork nodded as Spectra stood up, fixing a stern glare on him. Clockwork, vaguely amused, recognized it as her _doctor glare_. "Even with his speed healing that wound is going to be very nasty for the next few days. The bandage will need to be changed in a few hours," at this Spectra set down a few medical supplies on the bedside table, including a few roles of bandages.

"He'll need to drink that vial tomorrow," a green glowing vial that looked as if were poison instead of medicine, "And he'll need to drink that one the day after," another purple glowing one. "He'll also be a little weak due to that poison or whatever the hell it was, and don't forget to change the bandage one more time tomorrow, then it stays on for two days at _least_..." Clockwork raised an eyebrow as Spectra trailed off and stared intently at him.

"What is it now, Spectra?"

"You're hurt." Clockwork was about to ask what she was talking about before he remembered that Danny had nicked the glass on his chest with those talons of his. Barely suppressing an eye roll, one that was just dying to get out, he turned to open another portal back to the human world where he had found her.

"I'm fine. Just a mere scratch that will heal in a few days." Spectra muttered under her breath a bit before walking towards the portal, Clockwork smirking at her downtrodden expression. She may have been a leech that fed off depression but she really was a good doctor when she got into the rhythm of things.

"Yeah yeah, just don't overdo it till that thing heals. Also, I have to say, I'm liking the new look..." Really Clockwork was raising his eyebrow just too much now... He was about to ask just what the hell she was talking about, and why she was using such an irritating flirty tone, before he remembered that he was in his true age instead of his constantly shifting illusion.

"Goodbye Spectra," Clockwork tartly muttered while the woman laughed before heading towards the portal, looking far more amused than she should, in Clockwork's opinion at least.

"Yeah yeah, I'm going. See ya later Clocky, and try to keep that keep that kid of yours in one piece...we could use another Guardian around here again...yeah?"

It took a few more moments of silence in the room before Clockwork finally allowed himself to relax. A good doctor she might have been, but that was one woman who you could _not _turn your back on. There was a reason she lived on depression and misery. Once realizing that Clockwork was alone, except for a passed out Danny Fenton, he almost collapsed into a nearby armchair.

"Opening portals while pausing time in the Clock Tower...not such a good idea," Clockwork muttered while running a hand through his hair, looking worn out. Usually he could do things like that no problem but his power didn't just come from the staff, it also came from time itself. One of the reasons he was so powerful. Time was being clouded though.

Clockwork might have fudged on the truth when he told Danny not to worry about the time stream and all. It wasn't just the possible futures he had trouble seeing now, it was also his powers that were being clouded. "A rough couple of months indeed..." Clockwork was almost relaxed before his eyes snapped open as he glared around the room.

Something was watching...

He had no idea what it was or who it was but something was there. What worried him about that so much though was that no one could get into the Clock Tower without the current master's permission, and whatever he was feeling had _not _been allowed into the tower.

A sudden flash of the future interrupted whatever thoughts Clockwork was having. The flash was brief and dark and the only thing he had been able to see were green glowing chains. He had also caught the pure stench of rotting flesh and fresh blood... The thing that worried him most however was what he had heard.

Insane cackling from someone who was winning.

X

Clockwork frowned, tilting his head to the side as he all but glared at the mirrors in front of him. He had been trying to see further into that flash of vision he had for the past few hours but so far he had found nothing. Whatever was blocking his vision must have had a death wish and he couldn't wait to find out what was causing it.

Sighing Clockwork finally walked away from the mirrors, heading down towards the room he had placed Danny in. The boy should be waking up in a few moments and he would rather not have the boy wake up in unfamiliar surroundings without someone there to calm him down, especially after what he had just been through.

Lightly pushing the door open and walking in Clockwork saw that Danny was in the same position as when he had left. A blue blanket was placed over top of him and he was curled into as small a ball as possible as he slept. Slightly smiling Clockwork flew over to the bed, settling back against the headboard and waiting for Danny to wake up, which would be in a few minutes or less.

Danny muttered something under his breath before curling up even more, snuggling into his pillow. Clockwork grinned again before noticing Danny's disheveled look. He looked like he had just got done fighting Plasmius in his human form, which never ended well for the teen.

Shaking his head Clockwork ruefully grinned at the boy, knowing the disheveled look would soon be gone. That boy had the fastest speed healing he had ever seen on a ghost. Thinking of the boy's healing made him remember his own wound, which would probably take a few days to heal, as small as it was.

Speed healing had never been _his_ specialty.

Clockwork was pretty amazed though. Even untrained and without his weapon he was still a force to be reckoned with, what with all the powers he had shown today. He was slightly amused at what would happen when he learned to meld his Guardian powers with his ice powers. He was sure that a few of his more brazen enemies would be surprised.

He just wished he could see a little further into the future than the time block was allowing him. He didn't like being in the dark but he supposed even he had to be sometimes.

A soft groan drew Clockwork out of his thoughts as he looked back to Danny who shuddered in his sleep and made a small noise of pain. Frowning Clockwork gently reached out and ran a hand through the boy's hair, instantly quieting him down and making him curl up even more, although he was slightly hindered by his bandaged shoulder.

It took only a few more moments for Danny to finally crack an eye open blearily, looking as innocent as could be. Yawning the boy forced his other eye open and tried to keep them open. Unfortunately Clockwork was still running his hand through the teen's hair so Danny could barely keep his eyes open further than slits.

"Finally awake I see," Clockwork grinned while Danny located the voice and looked up at him. The ghost was slightly amused to see Danny looked confused out of his mind before a spark of recognition lit up in his eyes.

"Clockwork?" Said ghost chose not to take offense at the sheer shock in the teen's voice. To be fair he didn't think Danny even knew Clockwork had a true age form, not many did anyways.

"Yes Daniel, it's me. I wouldn't try getting up either, you'll just aggravate your injuries and make them worse than they already are." Danny slightly frowned before yawning again and showing the sharp fangs that he now had. Clockwork had to repress a smile at the thought of how badly Danny would freak out upon seeing he had fangs, even in his human form.

"Wait...injuries?" Danny asked, slightly moving before groaning. "Ugh...just what happened..." the boy groaned, causing Clockwork to slightly smile. He wasn't surprised the teen couldn't remember anything since the poison the idiot brigade had used had sent him into a delirious state of rage and confusion.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Clockwork asked, still absentmindedly running a hand through the boy's hair. It was probably due to this that Danny had a hard time concentrating period.

"Hm...I remember I was in class freaking out about my wings...which someone forgot to warn me about..." Danny muttered, shooting a sharp glare up at Clockwork, who just grinned back. "Then Sam was saying something about not worrying...then I remember howling...and... Wulf busted down the door?" Danny half-asked, looking even more confused.

"Wulf did indeed break into your school. He was warning you that two agents were in the area and were tracking you." Danny blinked at hearing that, tilting his head to the side and looking even more confused.

"But their tech's not sensitive enough to pick me up! Only my parent's weapons are sensitive enough to pick me up when I'm not in ghost mode- whoa...why does that sound so familiar..." Danny muttered, having a sudden flash of screaming students and him and his friends running. Suddenly frowning Danny glanced up at Clockwork.

"Don't tell me those two idiots found me and drugged me again..." Clockwork had to bite his lip in order not to laugh at the teen's expression. It was just too amusing. Danny seemed to notice since he glared before looking away and muttering under his breath.

"The two did indeed find you," Clockwork finally responded, his urge to laugh firmly under control. "Normally they wouldn't have been able to find you, no. But your recent promotion to Guardian has been making your power levels fluctuate widely. It will probably be a few more days before they settle down and stabilize," Clockwork answered the question that Danny had been about to ask. Danny, taking it in stride, just nodded while thinking back again.

"Okay, that makes sense, I guess...and so does Wulf warning me...but if they drugged me then why aren't I in some kind of ghost facility right now?" Danny raised an eyebrow while looking up at Clockwork, who was still running a hand through the teen's head. If Danny had noticed he hadn't bothered saying anything yet.

"Well..."

"Uh-oh, trailing off well's...that certainly doesn't sound good," Danny muttered, Clockwork ruefully grinning.

"It wasn't."

"Okay," Danny sighed, looking hesitant, "I'm gonna go ahead and ask, what happened? The last thing I remember is the whole suit change, another thing someone forgot to mention," a quick glare, "and then it just get's fuzzy. Very very fuzzy. Also, do I wanna know why I feel like I got zapped by a few million volts of electricity- and don't tell me I'm exaggerating. I know what getting zapped feels like."

At Danny's mock glare Clockwork chuckled before ruffling the boy's hair. "The reason your memories get fuzzy is due to the fact the two shot you with a new weapon of theirs, a harpoon." At this part Danny winced, mumbling a few words under his breath. "It was also filled with a new sedative that was designed to make ghosts fall asleep for up to half a day."

"I'm guessing this thing affects half-ghosts a little differently then?"

"Indeed," Clockwork slightly grinned at the boy's smirk. "Everything would have been fine if they hadn't tracked you down and started shooting at you. After the second harpoon hit you went a little overboard and tried to kill them." Danny paled and looked panicked while Clockwork couldn't look more nonchalant.

"Holy sh- Please tell me I didn't, did I?" Clockwork just shook his head and pushed the teen back, who had been trying to get up. Almost instantly the terrified teen relaxed, looking relieved. He could trust Clockwork to always tell him the truth, even if he didn't want to hear it.

"No, you didn't even leave a scratch on them, well...you might have terrified them into being scared every time they see you again, but other than that..." Danny had to stifle his laughter at that while Clockwork grinned. "No, the reason you feel like you got zapped by a million volts is mostly due to me stopping you." Danny just rolled his eyes at hearing that.

"You enjoy hitting me with things, don't you?" At this Clockwork laughed, looking vastly amused, which caused Danny to grin in response. He found it funny how he could always make the stoic Master of Time laugh.

"Not nearly as much as you'd like to think," Clockwork grinned before continuing, slightly wincing. "Unfortunately I was forced to use one of your developing abilities against you, causing you a great deal of pain although it did no actual damage." Danny looked up in confusion while slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Ability?"

"Yes. I'm sure by now you've noticed that your wings seem to be sensitive to certain things?" Danny, thinking back to when Sam had touched them that morning, nodded. Well, he nodded as much as he was able too, since Clockwork still wouldn't let him sit up. "Those 'feathers' of yours are an extension of your core energy and are subsequently extremely sensitive to changes in the ambient power around you.

"The reason Samantha touching you hurt so much was because that living humans contain a large amount of energy, that large amount overloaded your ability to feel and caused you pain. This is also why hitting one of your feathers with a large amount of ectoplasmic energy, as I did, was able to disable you without really hurting you."

Danny only looked a little bit confused as he took in the new information. "Okay...I kinda understand that...but is there a reason for my wings doing that? Seems kinda crippling in a fight if someone figured out to do what you did."

"You understand that your job now is to protect the border between the Ghost Zone and the human world, yes?" Clockwork asked, Danny nodding while wondering where this was going.

"Kind of, the details were a little sketchy. Well, that and the immense amount of pain I was in made it hard to pay attention when you and Andrew were explaining things." Clockwork slightly smiled while shaking his head.

"Well, in order for you to protect the Zone don't you need to know where the problems are at?" At this Danny started, looking like he was catching on, "When portals between the worlds open?" Ah, now he understood. Clockwork smiled approvingly while nodding. "Your thoughts are partially correct. Quite simply any portal opening alters the energy around the area and can be felt at an incredible distance. Rather like throwing a stone into the water, it doesn't just affect the spot it hits, it shifts the surrounding area as well, sending out ripples.

"With your new ability to now sense even minute changes in that energy you'll be able to, once you've learned how, know exactly where any portal between the worlds are at any given time," Clockwork finished, watching as Danny stared off into space for a few seconds as he thought everything over.

"That...that makes a lot of sense actually," he finally muttered, slightly smirking before frowning again. "But does that mean I'll always have to be aware of my wings? I mean, make sure no one touches them? I mean...that seems like a pretty big weakness if I'm ever gonna be fighting..." Clockwork just shook his head before explaining again.

"No, your wings are essentially an antenna, right now you're tuned into _all _the different kinds of energy around you. Eventually, with some practice, you'll learn to only listen to specific frequencies, and then things such as that will no longer hurt you anymore," Clockwork grinned before growing slightly serious. "You'll have to be careful until you figure it out as well... I wouldn't worry too much though. It's just a matter of practice until you get it." Danny nodded slowly while looking intent, he then went back to staring at Clockwork, who just raised an eyebrow at the look.

"You look different." Clockwork just gave him a flat look that quite clearly conveyed how unimpressed he was with Danny's observational skills. Understanding the look Danny just flushed in embarrassment as he looked at the wall across from them intently, hoping he could access his powers enough to where he could turn invisible.

"Yes Daniel, I _look different _because I only shift my forms when I wish to do so. This is what I really look like when the illusion is dropped." Clockwork was faintly amused as he watched Danny look at him curiously, his blushing going down considerably. He supposed he couldn't blame the boy for being too shocked... He only looked around twenty or so, not to mention his hood was down, showing off his short and spiky silver white hair.

"Hm...you should drop the illusion more often," Danny grinned while Clockwork just looked down at him with a faint smile.

"Oh, and why is that?" he asked, slightly smirking, as Danny blinked while looking confused at the question, as if the answer was obvious.

"Just because."

Clockwork shook his head while grinning, slightly ruffling the boy's hair one more time. "Indeed... Now, I need to re-wrap that wound of yours and then you're going back to sleep." Danny nodded as Clockwork slowly helped him sit up, trying to be careful of the boy's sore wings and shoulder.

Danny winced as the cloth was pulled away, both in pain and at the sight of the wound. It looked a little better than a few hours ago but it was still rather messy and jagged. Clockwork sighed before flying over to the stand and grabbing one of the spare rolls of bandages that Spectra had left.

"Wow...that...doesn't look good," Danny muttered while keeping his arm still as Clockwork pulled the last bit of cloth off, which was now soaked with blood. "I'm guessing that I have some kind of drug in me that makes the arm numb or something? Cause otherwise I'm pretty sure I would be passed out in pain by now."

Clockwork smirked before nodding, already starting to wrap the bandage around the wound. "Perhaps in the future you will think before pulling potentially barbed spikes out of yourself, hm?" Clockwork said in a slight matter of fact tone before slightly pausing. "Unless of course they are going to explode, in which case getting rid of them would be a good idea." He glanced up to see Danny was staring at him with a slightly open mouth and wide eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that that's _not _a random hypothetical situation?" he slightly squeaked, making Clockwork grin in return.

"My advice would be to not over think it," Clockwork grinned while tying the bandage off and gently pushing Danny back down onto the bed. "Now try and get some more rest." Danny just grumbled before pulling the blankets up and adjusting his position to where he wouldn't hurt his arm any more than it already was.

"What I don't get is why that's not already healed...I don't think I've had an injury last more than a few hours before...at least, not since a few months after I got my powers..." Clockwork just rolled his eyes while standing back up and grabbing his staff.

"Have you ever been injured this severely before?" Clockwork rhetorically asked while Danny frowned before shaking his head. "Then there's your answer," Clockwork grinned while quickly flying towards the door. "You should be fine to leave the bed in another two days or so, and not a second before," Clockwork cut off Danny's protests quickly, which he knew would be coming.

"Your _doctor _said so." Clockwork was amazed he was able to contain his sarcasm in that sentence.

"Doctor? What doctor?" Danny looked more confused than annoyed now, which caused Clockwork to grin, getting a slightly evil idea. He knew he probably shouldn't...but he just couldn't resist.

"I'll come back to check on you when you wake up again," Clockwork opened the door before glancing back, "Oh, and your doctor was one Miss Penelope Spectra by the way."

The expression on Danny's face was priceless.

Clockwork flew down the hall, heading back towards his mirrors as he smiled lopsidedly. The flickering images of the time line were still a little cloudy but things were resolving themselves bit by bit. A sudden image caused him to frown as he slowed down and stopped in the middle of the hall.

For a single moment he thought about simply ignoring the three until they left but he knew those children would either break something if he didn't turn up or go around looking for him. Heaving a great sigh he shook his head before calling his illusion back up and assuming his shifting forms. Really it was just habit by now, that and he really hated others seeing him without it.

Besides, the shifting forms unsettled people.

"Can I help you?" Clockwork asked, rather flatly, as the three spun around to look at him. Jazz looked worried, Tucker looked unsettled, and Sam looked vastly annoyed.

"Where is Danny?" Sam, slightly, snapped. Clockwork resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he stared at her expressionlessly. Danny would probably be mad at him if he was too rude to the three but he just didn't like them very much, it could be due to the fact he had seen several possible futures where they had abandoned Danny. Still...he knew that in this one they would probably stick by him until the end.

"He's here, resting." Sam seemed to think for a second before sighing and taking a deep breath. Clockwork was glad she had at least calmed down upon hearing that Danny was okay. They may not have had romantic feelings for each other anymore but she still cared for him deeply. It was this fact alone that kept Clockwork from blasting her out of the tower.

"Is he alright? And what did you do to him before?" Clockwork probably would have sent them straight back into the human world if he hadn't heard how worried the girl was. Even he wasn't that cruel as to send them home with no information.

"He will be fine, as for what I did there has been no lasting harm. It was just something I did so I could calm him down and bring him back to the Ghost Zone." Sam nodded while sharing a look with the others.

"Can we take him back home then?" Sam asked, looking stern. Clockwork hesitated, not wanting Danny to leave the Tower where he could keep a close watch on him. Jazz, being the intelligent human she was, seemed to notice Clockwork's hesitation.

"He's really okay, right?" Clockwork turned his gaze on her, seeing that she looked worried yet stern. The ghost nodded, slightly smiling. Out of the three he liked Jasmine best, simply for the fact that in every future he had ever seen she had never betrayed her brother. There had even been a few where she had died to protect him.

"He is fine, he will probably be back in a few days at the most." Jazz simply stared at him for a few more seconds before nodding and grabbing the other two teens by the back of their shirts and hauling them away.

"Hey-"

"Jazz! What are you-"

"We're leaving now! Tell Danny we visited and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" Jazz shouted back as way of parting. Clockwork merely chuckled in response as he turned back to his mirrors. He may not have particularly liked them too much but he had a feeling their friendship would be invaluable to Danny in the coming weeks.

That and he couldn't wait to see Danny's reaction upon his reunion with Jazz in a few days. He was sure the girl would choke her brother to the rest of his death with one of her hugs.

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Bum de bum bum! Tah-da! Updated! Hope ya enjoyed. Next one may take a little while, I got a writing competition I'm doing and I need to take some time to work on that. So read slowly...I guess I probably should have put that at the beginning...*shrug* Oh well! Enjoy! Wait...you've already read it... Okay then, review!

And thank you for all those lovely reviews and favs and alerts by the way! You should have seen my smile when I check my mail everyday. XD


	7. Scaretale

**I changed the song again. BECAUSE I CAN! ...I am very tired right now. Forgive my irritability. Anyways. This song is the one Que dubbed as Alvarro's theme song. Don't know who Alvarro is yet? You'll find out as the story goes on. Anyway...here's your link. So enjoy... I guess... God I need sleep...**

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=1QNIWAdvSVw **

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11 pages.  
Size 10 Font.  
7,725 words.

A gift my friends, to make up for my week-long absence... So all of yesterday, which was about 14 hours or so, me and Que, my partner-in-crime, were brainstorming for this story. We have made so much headway and it has turned into one of the most epic-est things ever. So, half of this story is Que's, actually...more than half because she came up with the idea of this whole story too. So, I want you to say this in the review :

Thank you Que. We love you.

^^ Okay? Okay! Now, time for the next chapter, yeah? It started out 3 pages and it made me said, then a small little idea came to mind and it turned into this menace. Hope Que and you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer : *sigh* Me and Que don't own Danny Phantom, although we want to just as much as the next DPhan... No, but we do own this story! And the concept of Guardians and the like. So, enjoy!

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**Chapter Seven**

**x**

"I don't know guys...it just doesn't feel like we can really trust him... I mean, we barely even know the guy! What if he's up to something devious and he's actually just using Danny to do it! I mean, it wouldn't really be the first time a ghost did something stupid like that..."

"Yeah, I mean, the last time me and Sam saw him the guy was about to chop Danny's head off with a scythe! A _scythe! _Normal people, or ghosts at least, don't do that kinda of stuff!" Tucker shouted, leaving out the part about how Clockwork had probably planned it that way so Tucker would think to give the two the time medallions.

"I know he may not be the most lovable ghost there is," Jazz sighed while walking between the two pouting teens, "But if Danny trusts him then that's good enough for me. Danny has always known who to trust and who not to trust, and besides, he's always praising this Clockwork...so I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Yes Jazz, we do, Danny just became Guardian of the _Ghost Zone_!" Sam shouted, looking half-worried and half-angry. Jazz just let out another sigh and started to speak, only to be quickly interrupted by Tucker, who was busy adding information to their list of known ghosts.

"Yeah, what does that even mean? Guardian of the Ghost Zone...it pretty much sounds like what he does now, only he gets a pair of awesome wings-"

"Tucker, they're not awesome. Not only does us touching them hurt him but that Clockwork guy was able to completely knock Danny out by hitting one of the feathers! They aren't safe and they could cause him more harm than good in the long run-"

"Yeah, but if he learns how to fight with them-"

"It doesn't matter if he learns how to fight with them! They're still a danger!"

"Guys!" Jazz shouted, both arguing teens automatically looking up towards her. She looked at them both for a second before shaking her head slowly, "Look, I know this is a rather strange situation, but fighting and turning on each other isn't going to help any of us." The two slowly nodded before muttering their apologies. "Thank you. Now, we can't do much about Danny and his new Guardian position, mostly because we don't even know what that means for him or us...

"But we can help him as much as we can," Jazz finished determinedly, Sam and Tucker sharing a dreading look. A determined Jazz was not usually a good thing for them, especially when it had something to do with ghosts. "And we can start by taking over his ghost patrol for the next few days. Once the other ghosts learn that Danny is gone they'll be swarming Amity! So it's up to us to stop them!"

"Yeah, no offense, but your guy's parents aren't really that good at the whole ghost hunting thing," Tucker snorted while the three walked up the steps to Fenton Works. "I mean, they have trouble catching the Box Ghost, let alone ghosts like Skulker and Ember."

"Well...they really do have a few issues when it comes to ghost hunting..." Jazz mumbled, trying not to feel too embarrassed on her parent's behalf. "But that's perfectly fine because they'll now have us to help them out! Like always..." Jazz muttered, sounding worn out and weary. The two teens shared a look, feeling bad for her. Growing up with those two as parents was bound to drive anyone crazy.

"Yeah, I mean, we've been doing ghost patrol for years. Doing it for a few days while Danny's resting won't kill us," Sam chimed in, sounding the goth version of chipper. Tucker just nodded in agreement while Jazz grinned, happy for the two's support in the matter.

"Hey guys..." Jazz muttered, suddenly sounding panicked as her smile vanished. The two teens looked up at her in surprise, wondering where the sudden fear had come from. "What are we gonna tell my parents about Danny's sudden disappearance for the next few days?" Tucker suddenly gaped, his grip relaxing on his PDA slightly. Sam just groaned while slamming her head into the front door, annoyed beyond words.

They had completely forgotten about the two elder Fentons.

"We're doomed..." Tucker muttered while watching Jazz bite her thumbnail and Sam repeatedly slam her head into the front door. All three knew that the first thing the Fentons would think of if their son wasn't home was that it had something to do with ghosts. And, even though the two would never know, they were right every single time.

X

"Ugh...my head is killing me and my brain feels like it's about to melt...that witch Spectra probably poisoned me..." Danny muttered under his breath as he worked on fully waking up. His arm was still numb, which he was thankful for since if it wasn't he was pretty sure he would be screaming in pain now.

"As likely as that would be she did not poison you. The vial of medicine she used is healing your arm and sewing the skin back up, although it does leave a rather bothersome headache behind." Danny just snorted as Clockwork floated over from the door to the chair he had collapsed in earlier, his ever shifting illusion still in place.

"Bothersome...more like mind-killing," Danny muttered while slowly sitting up and leaning against the headboard, testing his arm. It still hurt to move any more than an inch or two but at least it wasn't as bad as when he had been half-delirious and on a murderous rampage.

During his nap he had gotten a few memories back, one of him scaring an agent half to death, which had been quite the heart-warming sight on his part. The more scared those two were of him the better off he would be. That and he remembered using some really awesome powers. If only he could...

"You're not allowed to use or train with any of your powers, or leave that bed for that matter, for another two more days, Daniel," Clockwork grinned while sitting down, Danny looking downtrodden and heartbroken at the order.

"Oh come on, I wasn't actually going to do anything! I was just thinking about doing it!" Clockwork gave him an unimpressed look that just made Danny frown before muttering under his breath about damn mind readers, which only served to make Clockwork chuckle. Danny looked as if he was about to make another witty comment before he noticed that Clockwork was actually in his illusion form. "Hey...how come you're not in your, uh, true age form or whatever?"

"Hm...ah. Well by now the illusion I use is mostly out of habit more than anything else," Clockwork grinned while settling back in the seat, "If it really bothers you that much I can drop the illusion while in the Clock Tower at least." Danny hummed for a second before nodding in consent.

"You look way better without the illusion, you look more approachable, instead of looking like a grumpy old Master of Time," Danny snickerd while Clockwork just rolled his eyes as the illusion around him dropped, revealing his true form. His hood was still down, showing off his hair.

"Yes, heaven forbid people fear the Master of All Time who could make it to where they never existed in the first place," Clockwork slightly smirked while Danny just shook his head, looking somewhat amused. Leave it to Clockwork to always answer his sarcasm with a few lines of his own.

"We really do need to take some time and work on your people skills Clockwork..." Said ghost just shook his head while grinning, Danny chuckling in response. "Hm...you know it's kinda weird we have the same hair color...I haven't see many ghosts with pure white hair... And Frostbite does _not _count no matter what Sam says. That is fur, not hair." Clockwork merely chuckled at Danny's ranting while leaning his staff against the chair.

"Yes, well, ignoring the Frostbite comment, it's not _that _odd that we have the same hair color," Clockwork slightly smirked, watching as Danny titled his head in confusion before looking over at the elder ghost.

"Okay, now I'm really curious. What do you mean?" Clockwork slightly hummed before adjusting his position and lacing his fingers together. For some reason this seemed to amuse Danny since he was trying to hide a smile as he watched the elder.

"Daniel, did you ever wonder how that death trap your parents built was ever able to make you half-ghost?" Danny snorted at the death trap part of the question before smirking and looking back up at Clockwork.

"Well, I did have a few theories. Kinda hard _not _to think about it when something that huge happens to you..." at this Danny paused, looking slightly annoyed, "But no matter how many different scenarios I went through in my head nothing ever seems to really explain _everything_... I shouldn't even be half-ghost...I _should _have died..."

"Indeed you should have," Clockwork muttered seriously, Danny paying close attention, "When you pressed that button it sent millions of volts of electricity into your body, as the scars on your hand and arm proves. That much power should have killed you immediately, although there was a fifty-fifty chance you would have become a ghost due to ectoplasmic residue..." Clockwork hummed thoughtfully while Danny looked somewhat amused.

"Okay...so why am I only a half-ghost superhero and not buried slash rotting in a cemetery somewhere? Or, my personal favorite, skulking around the Ghost Zone arguing with Skulker and all the other ghosts?"

"That is very simple," Clockwork grinned. "In order for you to have become a half-ghost a full ghost would have had to be standing in the exact spot the portal was to open at precisely the right second. Too soon or too late and it wouldn't have worked at all." Danny nodded before slightly frowning.

"Okay, so exactly which ghost was standing there and caused my powers?" Danny asked, looking confused as Clockwork started looking _slightly _devious. The Guardian of Time, ignoring Danny's bafflement, simply readjusted his position before grinning again.

"Really Daniel, what are the chances of a ghost being there at the _exact _place and moment?"

"Okay, so...wait..." Danny trailed off, Clockwork's words almost clicking into place. Danny almost kicked himself once he realized the answer. Really...it had been so freaking obvious. Danny slightly snorted under his breath, clueless indeed. "I'm guessing that it's you I have to thank for my powers?"

"Indeed," Clockwork grinned, watching as Danny shook his head slowly, still trying to digest the information. Clockwork slightly grinned at what was coming next, he was sure Danny's reaction wouldn't disappoint him.

"So...what exactly does that make you to me then?" Danny hesitantly asked, trying to word the question to convey what he was asking. He knew Clockwork would understand, he always did when it came to Danny's confusing questions.

"Technically half of your human DNA was replaced with what your parents I believe call GNA..." Danny snorted at the tone of voice Clockwork used on the GNA part. To be fair it _was _a rather stupid name. "So, in technical terms, that would make Danny Phantom my full son and Danny _Fenton _my half-son."

Clockwork definitely wasn't disappointed by Danny's reaction.

"This would also be why I am allowed to interfere in your life as much as I am able to. If you weren't my son, and I do see you as mine, then I wouldn't have been able to interfere with Dan or when you got your Guardian powers." Clockwork stared at Danny a few more moments, who was still in shock at the news. Shaking his head and grinning Clockwork got out of his chair and rummaged around the bedside table that held the medicine supplies.

"So...then...huh?" Seeing Danny's befuddled state Clockwork chuckled before finding what he was searching for and pulling out a small worn-out pouch. He gently opened it and pulled out a handful of sparkling purple dust before sprinkling it over Danny's head. "Hey...whassat..." Danny mumbled, already falling back onto his pillows.

"_That _is sleep dust that I got off of Nocturne quite some time ago..." Clockwork grinned, remembering the prank the two had pulled on their mentors. Clockwise and Dusk never _had _mentioned the incident ever again after that. "It should make it to where you sleep until morning, good night Daniel."

"That...that's...cheating..." Danny muttered before his eyes fluttered closed, instantly falling asleep thanks to the powerful sleep powder. Clockwork just grinned at the sight before setting the bag on top of the table and leaning over to pull the blankets over the passed out teen.

"Yes, but since when do I play fair?" Clockwork smirked, ruffling the teen's hair before grabbing his staff and walking out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Slightly humming the Guardian of Time flew down the hallway, heading back towards the observatory full of his viewing mirrors. He was most interested in trying to track down that thing he had seen in his vision. Whatever it was he didn't have a good feeling about it...

"Hm...seems the future is getting even more clouded..." Clockwork muttered. Even without his time powers he could tell that something _very _bad was about to happen...

x

Danny sighed peacefully as he leaned against the tall oak tree behind him. From what he could tell he was on top of a tall hill where he could see miles and miles of valleys and fields. He knew this was probably a dream, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense as to how he got here. Nodding to himself Danny relaxed against the tree some more.

"Either one of two things has happened. I have been knocked unconscious by some of Nocturne's stupid dream dust, or I have been kidnapped. Since no one would be stupid enough to kidnap me while I'm with Clockwork I'm guessing that leaves the dream dust..." Danny muttered, slightly frowning. "Clockwork you are so in for it when I wake up..."

Sighing one more time Danny stood up before stretching his arms as far as he could, looking around. He noticed for the first time that he was in his ghost form, which was a little strange. Usually he was in his human form. In fact...there had only been one or two dreams he had where he had been a ghost. He was also surprised to note that he wasn't Guardian Danny Phantom, he was just regular protector of Amity Park Danny Phantom.

"_Danny..." _Said teen's head snapped up as he looked around widely. He was positive he had _not _imagined that voice. And there was no way he could dream something up that sounded that _real_. He wasn't _that _creative. _"Nice to see you didn't fade upon receiving your Guardian powers...although you shouldn't have gotten them as soon as you did..."_

"O...kay...why does that voice sound so familiar," Danny muttered while jumping into the air and looking around, "I know I have never heard that voice before so why does it sound familiar..." Shaking his head Danny decided he need to wake up. _Now_. He did not like having freaky dreams involving strange male voices form the sky. He never had.

"_Danny..." _the mysterious voice almost sighed in amusement, the same thing Clockwork sometimes did, as Danny jumped into the air and concentrated on flying straight down towards the earth. Either one of two things would happen. One, he would just bounce away and keep dreaming, or two, the shock would wake him up. As the earth fast approached he closed his eyes out of habit, awaiting the force of the impact.

"Dammit! I thought for sure that would work..." Danny muttered as he bounced away a little, rolling over so he could sit up again. He should have known Nocturne's dream dust was a bit harder to break away from. Maybe he should try going higher before flying towards the earth...

"_Daniel, you are not going to be able to wake up from this dream that easily...there are things you must hear first... Things I wasn't able to tell you the last time we met..._" the voice sounded stern, causing Danny to listen. He knew he was probably crazy to listening to a voice he was hearing inside his dreams that said they had met before...but he couldn't help but trust the voice just as did Clockwork.

"Alright...as freaky as this is...I'm listening... What exactly are you here to tell me- Wait...don't tell me you're God or something, here to tell me I'm an angel of redemption... So help me if I hear one more stupid angel joke from Tucker I am going to _lose _it. Do you know how annoying it is? His stupid Harbinger of Death jokes? I had to sit through them for two hours before Sam finally got him to shut up! Two! Hours!"

The resounding silence was a little awkward but it also gave Danny time to calm down and take deep breaths like Jazz had taught him to do when he was stressed. It was only a dream, he told himself, no reason to completely lose it on a fictional voice in his head-

"_I am _not _fictional Daniel! I am very real, and no, I'm not God! I am here to warn you..." _Danny snorted, although to be fair he really couldn't help it. It was just too amusing.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but this is just sounding too book-ish... I'm sure Jazz and Sam, or even Andrew, would love to hear something like this, but I, unlike them, was never very into books-" Whatever else Danny had been about to say was cut off with a rough sigh from the voice.

"_If you're like this all the time then I can see why Clockwork is like he is..." _Danny scowled at the sky, since that seemed to be the source of where the voice was coming from.

"And what's that supposed to mean? Clockwork is a great person-uh, ghost, so I would appreciate it if you didn't insult him! He's helped me through a lot of things and I'm lucky to have him to help me! After all, how many people can say the Guardian of Time is their, well...ghost dad I guess..." Danny was still having a little trouble wrapping his mind around the thought of Clockwork being his father, although it didn't really seem like a bad thing...

"_I meant no harm Daniel...but you must listen. This is not a simple dream...it's taken a great deal of my remaining power to be able to speak with you again. I would have sent that foolish girl but her powers are even more drained than mine-"_

"No no wait, let me guess," Danny slightly grinned, "A ghost in trouble who is sending out a desperate plea for someone to save him and his friend, right?"

"_Would you just shut your trap and let me talk?" _Danny meekly nodded while rubbing the back of his neck. He supposed he had been a little rude there, and he was sure Clockwork would have reprimanded him if he had been there with him, even if he was only in a dream. Although...this was seeming less and less like a dream...

"Sorry."

"_Thank you. Now listen. With your recent _promotion _to Guardian you must be careful...there has always been more than one or two Guardians, and there is _definitely _a reason as to why young Clockwork has been the only one for so long..." _At these words Danny snapped to attention. As much as everyone liked to tease him about being clueless he was very attentive when it mattered, and he had just learned two important things. One was that the one speaking must be a very _very _old ghost if he was calling Clockwork young, and two...

There were more Guardians than just him and Clockwork...

"_As cliché as you think this is you are in for a great deal of trouble... Something very evil is coming you're way, and I fear you alone may not be able to handle him-"_

"Okay...I'm sorry for interrupting you and all again, but the epitome of evil thing? Yeah...kinda already faced that with Pariah and Dan...and Vlad," Danny added as an afterthought. If he felt the pure annoyance swirling in the air around him he chose to ignore it. "And I'm pretty sure nothing could be as bad as those three," at this part Danny snorted, "Especially the fruitloop."

"_You fool! Those three are mere playground bullies compared to what is about to break free! You must not let him escape! You must fight him and win! If you do not then all of -" _Abrupt silence cut off whatever was about to be said next. Danny floated in the air nervously a few seconds as the air around him grew stifling, making it hard to breath.

"H-Hello? Ghostly Voice in the Sky? You there?" Danny hesitantly asked before slowly floating down to touch the grassy hill he had been on earlier, he was therefore surprised when he felt something crunch under his feet. Looking down slowly he paled before suddenly darting back up into the air. He had just stepped on _bones_. "That's not normal..."

Looking around he saw that the beautiful valley he had been in was now dead. The grass was rotted and a crumbly brown while skeletons and bones littered the area. The dirt looked to be a darker color than brown...almost like...

"Blood..." Danny whispered, his eyes growing even wider. Sure he was known for some pretty out-there dreams and all, but this was just too much, even for him... There was no way he could, or would, ever dream up something like this... Hopefully it wasn't Nocturne messing around in his dreams again, otherwise that ghost was in for it.

"**Heheh... Wrong boy. That little twerp Nocturne is too worthless to conjure up something this amazing..." **Danny froze in place, a slight shiver wracking his body. He knew this was a dream but that didn't stop him from being downright terrified of the voice that he had just heard... This was _nothing _like Ghostly Voice in the Sky...this was more like the Voice from Hell...

"Uh...yeah...Voice from Hell or whatever...exactly who are you and what the hell are you doing in _my _dream!" Danny was amazed he was about to put that much bravery into this voice when he felt like running for the hills, or to Clockwork. Either one worked at this point.

"**Hahaha! Been a while since I've seen a potential Guardian with a pair of balls! Hey kid, tell me, did wittle Clocky tell you about what happened to all the other Guardians before now? Did he?" **Danny was about to snap back with a somewhat witty retort when he realized what had been said.

"What do you mean the _other _Guardians?" Danny asked, floating towards where the voice seemed to be coming from, which was a dark cave at the end of the valley. He couldn't tell very well but there seemed to be green mist floating out from the inside. "The only Guardians right now are me and Clockwork...although...that other voice did say something about there being others..."

"**If ya wanna live you better leave that clueless innocence behind boy, otherwise you won't last much longer..." **the voice growled, actually sounding angry at the fact that Danny seemed clueless about the Guardians.

"Hey! Give me a break! I've only been a Guardian, for like, a day! I can't really be expected to know everything there is too know..." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at the cave. The voice, which sounded beastly, just snorted before chuckling some more.

"**Foolish excuses like that are liable to get you killed boy... It's a shame wittle Clocky didn't tell you...probably trying to protect you for as long as he could... It also probably explains why you're still alive right now!" **Danny couldn't even respond to that, not quite knowing what to say. To be fair it was somewhat true... Without Clockwork and Andrew he probably would have died or faded by now... Speaking of faded...hadn't he heard other voices when he had gotten his wings?

"You aren't the first..." Danny muttered, his eyes widening as the memories came back to him. "You're not the first voice I've heard in one of my dreams..."

**"Oh? So you've already been visited by one of those lingering spirits?" **the voice snorted, sounding close to growling, **"I'm amazed they had the strength to contact you, weak as they are..." **Danny was only half-listening to the voice as he tried to remember all he could about the first dream he had. Something about being a _potential _and being sealed in a tree or something.

And not to give up.

"Why exactly are you here?" Danny muttered, finally touching down on the ground just outside of the cave. "I know it can't be just to yell at me and mock me for not knowing much about Guardians or whatever..."

"**Oh-ho! Maybe there's some hope for you yet boy," **the voice chuckled as a whiff of fresh blood floating out from the cave. Danny almost gagged at the smell. It didn't just smell like blood but...something like decaying _bodies_... Now he was _positive _this wasn't just a dream and these voices weren't just things he was imagining. **"If nothing else you'll be fun to play with for a little while longer...a half-ghost Guardian...who would have thought such a thing existed..."**

"You'd be surprised by how often I get that," Danny slightly coughed, trying not to breath due to the sickly stench. The voice just laughed again, the stench coming back full force.

"**Well well...a Guardian of Protection with some spunk..." **Danny jolted at that, looking towards the cave shocked as he caught a quick glimpse of brown fur and sickly yellow eyes and something glowing an ectoplasmic green. Something like...chains...

"What...what do you mean Guardian of _Protection_...I thought I was Guardian of the Ghost Zone or whatever..." Danny muttered, walking a few steps closer. The voice broke into loud and cruel laughter yet again.

"**Is that what they're calling you now and days? Guardian of the **_**Ghost Zone**_**? Bwahahaha! Oh this will definitely be a fun couple of months..." **the voice laughed, sounding far more amused than he should. **"But for now...I think I should leave you with a little parting gift that you can play with..."**

"Who the hell are you?!" Danny shouted, about to charge in the cave and drag the beast out and ask what was happening. The beastly voice seem to growl before chuckling, the laughter growing in size till it seemed to echo around the whole dream world.

"**I'm just a figment of your imagination boy...or at least...for now I am..."**

At this point Danny was frustrated beyond belief and was starting to walk into the cave before he was suddenly blasted back by a blood red ecto-blast. An ecto-blast that seemed familiar...too familiar...

"Ow...I _hate_getting blasted...it hurts worse than the slamming into things..." Danny muttered, slowly getting to his feet a few feet away. It took him a few more seconds for what he had said to sink in. That had hurt. Yet...he was dreaming. "Oh I have a bad feeling about this..."

"**Too right you should," **the voice growled before fading away. Danny was about to march into the cave and demand some answers before he got blasted back yet again, this time ramming into the tree he had first been leaning against. Groaning and looking up he paled in fear before thinking of more ways to wake up within the next few seconds.

"Well well...look who we have here...how have ya been Danny-boy?" Danny watched helplessly as the ghost in front of him stalked closer before kicking him sharply in the stomach and sending him rolling down the hill of bones, a few of the sharper ones nicking his arms and legs.

"Nice to see you too Dan," Danny growled, his need to use sarcasm instantly kicking in. He had no clue what was going on but he really hoped that sleeping powder of Nocturne's wore off fast, otherwise he was in for painful nightmares instead of pleasant dreams...

"Let's play a game Danny-boy..."

X

Clockwork roughly sighed as he used one hand to rub his eyes, feeling exhausted. He had been doing his best to track down that vision of his and so far nothing, he hadn't even been able to see into the future past the next few days period. Whatever was clouding his vision was getting worse...far worse.

"I suppose I can always try checking the slipstreams again..." Clockwork mused while waving his staff and watching the mirrors show blue swirling colors. "Surely there has to be _something _I can-" Whatever Clockwork had been about to say was cut off as he was suddenly tackled to the floor, his staff skittering across the stone floor a few feet away.

The elder ghost instantly was about to jump up and descend into battle mode before he looked down and saw Danny was clinging to him tightly in ghost form with his hood pulled tightly up around him. Baffled Clockwork looked down while managing to at least get up into a sitting position instead of sprawled out over the floor.

"Daniel? What on earth is wrong?" A distant mumbling from the teen was heard before the grip around him tightened even more than before. "Daniel I can't help or understand you when you mutter into my chest like that, now, what's wrong?" Clockwork softly asked, pushing the boy's hood back. Danny hesitantly looked up at him, pure terror showing in his eyes.

"Bad dream..." Danny muttered, shivering while clutching the ghost tighter and hiding his face in the elder's chest again. Clockwork looked astonished as he heard a small sniffle from Danny, who seemed to not want to move period. There was no way a _bad dream _could do that to Danny...so what did...

"Daniel, it is impossible for you to have a bad dream. That brand of Nocturne's sleeping powder gives the ghost or person a dream-free sleep... You shouldn't have had dreams period, let alone a bad one." Especially one this bad, Clockwork thought silently, shifting the boy in his lap so the two were a tad more comfortable.

"Yeah, well, impossible things seem to happen to me a lot," Danny muttered, his shivering slowly coming to a stop although he still remained buried in Clockwork's chest. The Guardian of Time just let out a small sigh before adjusting his grip on the teen and floating a few inches into the air so he could stand up properly. He then readjusted his hold on the boy before floating up again and heading back towards Danny's temporary bedroom.

"As true as that is there is no way you could have had a dream without outside interference," Clockwork paused at this point, having felt Danny tense up in his arms and shiver again. "Daniel...something wrong?" Danny just frantically shook his head, a glimpse of his eyes showing how frightened he was. "I see..."

The two remained silent as Clockwork phased them into the bedroom, setting Danny back down onto his bed and pulling the blankets up. Danny just struggled out of the blankets before curling up against the headboard.

"I am _not _going back to sleep," Danny glared, green eyes flaring up even more. Clockwork felt slightly worried that Danny was this adamant against going back to sleep. Obviously something had happened in this _bad dream _of his, and the fact that Clockwork hadn't foreseen this happening made him all the more worried.

Walking around to the bedside table Clockwork reached down for the bag of sleeping powder again, Danny seemed to know what he was doing though since he quickly snatched the powder from Clockwork's hands before backing away. Clockwork seemed surprised for a few seconds before lightly glaring at Danny.

"Daniel...you need rest, and plenty of it, if you want your shoulder to heal, so if that means using the dream dust then I will use it..." Clockwork explained sternly, keeping his eyes fixed on Danny and the innocent looking bag of powder. Danny just seemed to scowl even more, his wings slightly flaring with his emotions.

"I am _not _going back to sleep," Danny repeated, edging towards the door. Clockwork seemed to be able to see at least that much since he was in front of the door a second later, blocking Danny's escape route.

"Yes, you are," Clockwork held Danny's gaze, letting him know just how serious he was.

"And just who is gonna make me, you?" Danny snorted, clutching the bag tighter while backing up against the wall. Clockwork simply raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms, as if Danny was nothing but a child who didn't want to go to bed yet. In all honesty though, he was.

"If I have too then yes, I will." The two stared off another few seconds before Danny suddenly leaped in the air and went intangible, flying straight through the wall. Clockwork cursed before quickly following him, looking cross. Whatever that dream was it must have been bad to have made sweet and docile Danny into a crazy disobedient teenager. "Daniel! Get back here!"

"Fly fly fly as fast as you can!" Danny called back out, half-singing and half-yelling, "You can't catch me, I'm the Phantom!" Clockwork almost snorted in amusement but quickly regained his stern expression before getting ahead of Danny and cutting him off. Danny just grinned before swerving and flying down towards the main observatory.

"Daniel!" Clockwork shouted, chasing after the young phantom yet again. He silently cursed himself for leaving his staff on the stone floor of the observatory back when Danny had first tackled him. If he had it now he could use it to get ahead of Danny and snag the powder off of him.

"Hey Clockwork! I wonder what happens when you pour the powder down a drain!" Danny called back from a few rooms ahead of him, making his voice sound distant. Clockwork staggered in flight for a second before spending up even more and praying to every god he knew that the boy was just joking.

"Daniel so help me if you do anything to get rid of that powder then I will make Andrew stick you into another poem!" Clockwork yelled. He probably wouldn't have cared all that much if he hadn't known that Nocturne would find a way to end his after-life if his powder was wasted. It was hard enough getting that stuff from him the first time. "And this time I'll make sure you're stuck in it for at least a week!"

"No you wouldn't Clockwork! You're too nice!" Danny called back, sounding close to breaking down into laughter. While Clockwork was mostly angry and annoyed a very small part of him was glad that Danny was back to the happy and mischievous teen he was instead of the scared child he had been just a few minutes ago. But that part was very, _very _small.

"Daniel!" Clockwork shouted, finally reaching the room only to see nothing but his mirrors. That boy must have been delirious if he thought it was a good idea to decide to mess with Clockwork. "Daniel if you do not come out here within the next five seconds-"

"You'll what? Ground me?" Danny snorted, his voice echoing around the room. Clockwork frowned before seeing his staff and slightly grinning. If he could just get his staff he could pinpoint the boy and get that dream dust back... Just a matter of getting to it before Danny realized what he was doing. "I would love to see that."

"I may not ground you but I will certainly have Andrew trap you in a poem. I really wasn't kidding about that," Clockwork slightly smirked at the thought of that actually happening, it was amusing to be sure.

"No you wouldn't Clockwork. Mostly because you're too nice and partly because Andrew loves me too much to trap me in a poem like he did last time." Clockwork snorted, figuring Danny really _must _be tired if he actually said that Andrew loved him without even stuttering.

"Why Daniel, I'm surprised you figured that out so quickly," Clockwork stalled, inching his way towards the discarded time staff. "Andrew is rather good at hiding things after all."

"Huh...figured what out so quickly?" Danny asked, Clockwork managing to pinpoint his voice somewhere above the mirrors. "Clockwork? What did I figure out? Huh? Hey! You tricked me!" Danny shouted as he stared at Clockwork, who was in front of him with the time staff and looking highly amused.

"Partially tricked you, there is a difference," the ghost smirked while seeing that Danny was still clutching the bag of dream dust, even though time around his body had stopped and caused him to freeze. "And now, I believe, that dream dust belongs to me." What happened next was something neither had been prepared for.

Danny was looking confused as he shook his head, noticing Clockwork was groaning as he got up from off the floor where he had been blasted back by Danny's wings. "Uh...sorry?" Danny half-asked while looking towards Clockwork, who was stretching his back out before a large crack was heard.

"Okay, another note to self. Guardian wings cannot be stopped by the staff," Clockwork muttered under his breath while picking his staff back up and trying to ignore the pain that wracked his body due to the crack on his chest. He had forgotten just how much trouble one of those cracks could cause.

"So...I'm just gonna...gonowbye!" Danny let the last few words tumble together as he darted off, Clockwork watching as he flew somewhere towards the top of the tower. Groaning the ghost adjusted his cloak before turning his legs into a ghostly tail and getting ready to track down his insane little phantom son.

Snorting Clockwork shook his head while darting towards the ceiling, "I would like to meet the complete idiots who said parenthood was the joy of joys."

X

Ghostwriter, also known as Andrew to a few, paced outside the Clock Tower. He still couldn't believe the place really existed, let alone that Clockwork had wanted to meet with him to talk some more. Thankfully he hadn't been carrying any books when the time ghost had first shown up or he was pretty sure they would have been scattered everywhere.

Sighing Andrew inched a little closer to the Clock Tower, trying to remind himself that he was here to help Danny. Clockwork had told him about the kid's run-in with what he had called the idiot brigade and described how Danny would need help with his new role of Guardian, especially in his learning of the history of the Ghost Zone.

Finally taking a deep breath and deciding to get it over with Andrew approached the door, which opened on its own accordingly. Looking even more nervous than before Andrew walked a few steps forward, startled when the doors closed and thus pushing him further into the Clock Tower, which didn't look much like a Clock Tower at the moment...

"What on earth..." Andrew muttered while walking down the hall slowly. It probably used to look very pristine before what looked like a hurricane had barreled through. There were clocks all over the floor, which looked like they had been knocked off the wall, a few even looking shattered.

Shaking his head Andrew flew down the hall, peeking his head around the corner only to be shocked by what he saw. If he thought the front hall was bad this was a thousand times worse...clocks were broken and strewn along the floor everywhere, furniture was flipped over and on it's side. He even saw that a few bookshelves had been knocked over, which nearly gave him a heart attack at the state the books were in.

"H-Hello?" Andrew hesitantly called, not bothering to speak very loud. Looking around some more he saw one of the lights had been busted, a few sparks coming from it, and even what looked like a huge floating mirror had been knocked to the floor. Whatever it had been it looked to be very important. Starting to get worried Andrew wondered if a powerful ghost had come and attacked the two.

Andrew was about to go into full panic mode before a large glowing object suddenly came hurdling towards him at a very fast speed. Quickly ducking Andrew shut his eyes as whatever it was crashed into yet another bookshelf. Slowly opening one eye at a time Andrew saw that it was in fact a very inexperienced Guardian that was on his back and upside down, looking disheveled as he glared in the direction he had come from.

"Slipping up now are we, Daniel?" Andrew's head snapped over as he saw Clockwork, who was not at all looking like a Guardian of Time. He was surprised to see his true age instead of the illusion but the state of him surprised Andrew even more. The ghost's white hair was disheveled and looked to be going in all directions while his clothing was a little crooked and barely hanging on. He was also panting, yet looking somewhat triumphant.

"Yeah yeah, you just got lucky is all," Danny groaned as he staggered to his feet and clutching a small worn-out pouch in his hand even tighter. Clockwork simply smirked while holding his staff with one hand and pushing his sleeves up with the other.

"Well let's see if I can't get lucky again then, hm?" Clockwork raised an eyebrow, looking worn-out yet vastly amused. Danny just shot a grin back at him while tightening his hand around the pouch even more. At this point Andrew was looking close to his wit's end. To be fair though not many could deal with two fighting Guardians. It took a few more moments of the two's stare-off before Andrew finally decided to interrupt.

"What on _earth _is going on here?" Both looked over in surprise to see Andrew was tugging at his scarf and looking generally panicked. Clockwork just smiled while slightly adjusting his hold on the time staff.

"Ah Andrew, good to see you again. Right on time too," he muttered while looking down at one of his many watches. "Hm...have I really been chasing him that long..."

"Ghostwriter!" Danny called, looking excited and forgetting for a moment that the real ghost's name was Andrew. "It's only been a day yet it's felt like ages!" Andrew was slightly surprised when Danny zoomed over and hovered in front of him, looking like an excited child. Seeing the cloak around the boy's shoulders however made him slightly grin.

"Nice to see you as well Phantom, now care to tell me why this place is a wreck and you two were trying to kill each other?" Danny slightly shuffled his feet while finally touching down on the ground. Andrew tried to look stern but it was a little hard to do what with how innocent Danny was trying to look.

"I promise it wasn't my fault this time. You can blame this one all on Clockwork. See it's a very long story but it all boils down to the fact that Clockwork is a jerk and should take peoples opinions into that all-knowing brain of his and actually listen!" At this point Andrew seemed to notice that Danny was ranting more than anything else. "That and I don't want to go to sleep dammit!" Shaking his head the ghost looked behind the boy towards Clockwork, who raised a finger for him to be quiet while slowly sneaking towards the teen.

"Oh my god," Andrew muttered under his breath while Danny kept ranting and Clockwork kept sneaking closer, "How did I get wrapped up in all of this madness..."

"Hey! You can't do that!" Danny shouted as Clockwork flew out of reach, the tattered pouch firmly in hand. Andrew shook his head while Clockwork just grinned and readjusted his cloak a bit, also trying to get his hair to stay down.

"You'll find Daniel that I just did," the ghost smirked as Danny frowned and shifted his stance a little, looking like he was about to charge. "I also believe that it is time for bed. Now."

"Yeah right. I don't care what you think because you are never getting that powder stuff on me!" Danny shouted, a little twitch forming under his eye. Clockwork just raised an eyebrow while Andrew, still muttering under his breath, was now hitting his head against the wall.

"Oh? And how would you know that?" Clockwork asked, grinning again. "Oh yes, and one more thing Daniel..." Danny just raised an eyebrow, looking like he was ready for anything before a few particles of purple sparkling dust caught his attention. "You really should pay more attention."

Danny's eyes widened as the Clockwork in front of him faded. Cursing the teen realized it had been a clone, and the real Clockwork was behind him, having just sprinkled some of the dream dust onto his head. Already feeling woozy Danny groaned before shaking his head and jumping into the air, wobbling a bit before almost hitting the ground.

"Ya...won't...catch me..." Danny muttered, barely staying afloat. Clockwork had to work to hide his laughter while Andrew just shook his head and caught Danny by the back of his cloak, pulling him down towards the ground.

"Phantom, don't try to fly. If that stuff is what I think it is then you are going to be falling asleep _very _quickly," Andrew sighed while half-tugging and half-pushing the boy towards the hallway, motioning for Clockwork to lead the way. The time ghost, slightly grinning now, flew ahead of them before opening the door to Danny's temporary bedroom.

"Nooo..." Danny whined, doing his best to struggle even though he could hardly move, "Don't wanna...go sleep..." Andrew just shook his head while pushing the teen down on the bed before pulling the blankets back over him. He then gestured for Clockwork to do something because he was not good at handling stressed out teenagers.

"Daniel I promise you won't have any more bad dreams...it's okay to go back to sleep now..." Clockwork slightly sighed, looking a little worried as he ruffled Danny's hair. The boy already looked half-asleep as he looked over towards Clockwork.

"Promise?" Raising an eyebrow Clockwork looked slightly surprised at the pure child-like expression on the teen's face. "Promise no more bad dreams?"

"Daniel, have I ever lied to you?" At the shake of the head Clockwork grinned. "Then I promise." Nodding slowly Danny's eyes finally closed, his body finally falling asleep after the few hours of chasing back and forth the two had gone through.

"I know I might regret this," Andrew mumbled, speaking softly so as to not wake the boy, "But do I even want to know what went on here?" At this Clockwork had to bite back another laugh. Quite a bit _had _happened since Danny had swiped the dream dust and ran away yelling about not sleeping...

"It is a long story...one that I can tell while I try to clean up my observatory. Actually...we need to talk anyways..." Clockwork trailed off while making a motion for Andrew to follow as he flew through the door, Andrew sighing deeply before following. He said it once and he would say it again.

Normal things did not happen around Phantom.

X

"**Oh-ho! Back again are we?" **Danny shivered as he heard the voice and saw the hill of bones again. He really hoped this dream wasn't going to be as bad as the last one had been. **"Oh don't worry kid, it's going to be **_**much **_**worse-"**

"_Oh for god's sake!" _a sudden voice shouted out, startling both the voice and Danny. _"Can't you even leave the poor kid alone while he's asleep? Go. Away." _Danny was shocked as the feminine sounding voice seemed to growl at the beast voice, causing both it and the hill of bones to disappear.

"Uh...not to sound ungrateful or anything," Danny muttered while looking around the beautiful grassy hills that he had first seen at the beginning of his last dream, "But just who are you? I've really had my fill of strange voices from the sky for a lifetime..."

"_Hey hey, relax," _the voice muttered soothingly, Danny relaxing a bit without even realizing it. _"I'm one of the good guys, remember? Me and that old bag of wind from before are here to help you... Besides, Clockwork promised that you wouldn't have any more nightmares, right?" _A glimpse of yellow and black out of the corner of his eyes caused Danny's vision to snap to what looked like a girl of average height standing in the field before disappearing. Shocked Danny rubbed his eyes before looking again. Still no strange girl.

Well...whoever she had been...at least she had driven off his nightmares...for now...

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Good, yeah? I cannot tell you how proud I am of this chapter...just...words fail me. And the chasing scene, just... So very much fun... Hope ya enjoyed and keep those reviews coming! They inspire me to write!

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**Ever realize how weird time is...like sometimes it feels like it's slipping away and you can't grab it and it's gone and oh no...and other times it's there and you DON'T WANT IT. You want it gone, you want to be left along but it stays by you, it keeps pulling and tugging and forcing you to keep moving...**

**Oh god I don't even know what I'm saying anymore... Time for a test...**

**/)**


	8. Hang On

**Really not much was changed in this chapter. Didn't even change the song title... So yeah... I did want to go back and add though that it's so short because it's one of those transition chapters that all you readers hate so much. Writers love them though. They are easy to type out and they help lead into the plot... Enjoy!**

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**Edit tag! Que already beta'd this and fixed some stuff. XD But I- I KNOW THIS SONG! QUE CHOSE THIS SONG FOR THE CHAPTER AND I KNOW IT! *dances to song* WOO! GO QUE GO! *singing along while giving link***

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v = C3X5HtDGDIc**

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**Edit: I didn't actually read through the whole thing, but Que actually spotted some stuff wrong and fixed it. I trust her enough to do she did a wonderful job. So here! Que also makes a great beta as well as partner-in-crime. XD**

Okay, so it's kind of a short chapter this time. Give me a break, I got addicted to World of WarCraft... It's addicting! So! Que made an awesome trailer for this...but I'm not gonna give you the link till we make it even more awesome and epic. XD So... I think that's it... Short chapter. Next one very soon... Enjoy?

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**Chapter 8**

X

"Ugh...darn it!" Danny shouted while crossing his arms and glaring at the ceiling with all the strength he could muster. The ceiling meanwhile was doing it's best to look as innocent as possible. "Stupid Clockwork and his stupid sleep dream dust stuff... I would have won that fight too...if Andrew hadn't shown up and distracted me..."

Even though he knew that was wishful thinking, and he would have lost no matter what, it still kept him from feeling completely stupid for being caught so easily. Although, he had to admit...

It had been pretty funny to see Clockwork running all around the Tower.

"Alright- Ouch! Almost forgot about that..." Danny murmured while looking down to see that a little blood had started to leak through his bandages. "Great...now I'll have to change the bandages...hopefully _these_ won't hurt too much when I pull them off like the last time I had bandages..." Shaking his head and sitting up more Danny looked around wondering just what time it was.

"It's somewhere around noon in your time zone." Danny jumped and shrank against the headboard at the sudden sound of someone talking, it took a few seconds for him to realize that it had just been Clockwork and there wasn't a ghost about to pop up and attack him. "And no, you wouldn't have won."

"Oh shut up," Danny muttered, trying his hardest not to grin. Clockwork must have noticed anyways since he chuckled before standing up. "I still think I could have gotten away if Andrew hadn't shown up and distracted me like he did."

"Actually there was a very low chance of you escaping, Andrew appearing or not."

"Ah-ha!" Danny shouted, looking triumphant while Clockwork just raised an eyebrow. "So you admit there was a chance of me winning!" At this Clockwork had to hold back his laughter, although the smile was impossible to hide.

"A slim one, but yes, a chance," the ghost grinned, watching as Danny grinned back before ruffling his hair out of habit and then looking confused. Clockwork watched as Danny paused and then pulled down a lock of pure white hair. The teen stared at it for a few seconds and then released it. He then did the same thing a few more times before Clockwork finally decided to interrupt.

"Daniel...what are you doing?"

"I'm in ghost mode." Danny must have noticed the expression on Clockwork's face because he frowned before shaking his head. "I'm in ghost mode, but I was just asleep. I don't sleep in ghost mode. I always, always change back to Fenton. So why was I Phantom..." Danny muttered, looking frustrated, as he always did when there was something about his ghost-half he didn't know. Clockwork just frowned before walking over to the bedside and picking up a vial.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Daniel. Most likely it's due to your powers having grown and you now have the strength to use your ghostly energy for longer periods of time," Clockwork explained while swishing the vial around and reading the small label on the side. Danny just looked over at him before raising an eyebrow.

"Most likely?"

Clockwork had to admit, he was surprised Danny had caught that. He was sure the boy wouldn't have noticed. "Yes, now Spectra said to take this vial."

"Wha-?" Danny was abruptly cut off as he suddenly found his mouth was full of some unknown substance. Eyes widening he automatically swallowed, making a sour face once he had done so. "Ugh...that is nasty...what is that- Hey...how did you do that?" Danny looked over to see that Clockwork was holding an empty vial and looking smug.

"I don't need my staff to stop time Daniel, it's just easier that way, plus it saves my energy," Clockwork explained while setting the vial down and picking up a roll of bandages, motioning for Danny to sit up further. The boy did so before suddenly looking confused.

"Hey wait, I thought you got you're energy or power or whatever from the time stream, I mean wouldn't that make more- Ouch! Hey, that does hurt you know," Danny glared while Clockwork just smiled apologetically before removing the next strand of bandage. Really he had just pulled so hard to stop Danny's train of thought.

And here others thought Danny was clueless when really he was anything but. Well...he was rather clueless when it came to things like crushes and romance. Sam's two-year crush had been proof enough of that.

"Well, you're shoulder is healing rather well and will be back to normal in a few more days," Clockwork smiled while tying the last of the fresh bandages on. Danny nodded absentmindedly while fiddling with the edges of his cloak, which looked a little rumpled from having been slept on.

"Hey...Clockwork..." Danny muttered, looking up at him. "What does it mean? Being Guardian of the Ghost Zone?" If Clockwork had been surprised at the question he didn't show it. Instead he sat down beside Danny, the two leaning back against the headboard.

"Did you have a more specific question or would you rather me tell you everything about the Guardian there is to know?" Clockwork asked, looking amused. Danny snorted before shaking his head, leaning into Clockwork's side without even thinking about it.

"I'm sure you and Andrew will give me a full history eventually but I'd rather put that off as long as I can thanks. No...more like...why am I the Guardian?" Clockwork sighed while running a hand through Danny's hair, who didn't really seem to take notice.

"Any particular reason why you're asking?" Clockwork thought it had been about Danny's nightmare last night but the boy just looked confused before shrugging, wincing at the pain as he did so.

"Not...really... Just curious I guess," Danny replied. This time it was Clockwork who looked confused. Danny was acting as if he hadn't even had a nightmare. "And I know you and me are Guardians but were there any others?" Now Clockwork was definitely confused. Danny never would have asked about the other Guardians unless he had known about them. Deciding to worry about it later, whatever _it_ was, Clockwork worked on answering Danny's questions.

"Yes. At one time there were other Guardians," Clockwork answered, preparing for a long explanation. He really should have told Danny all this when he got his powers but he hadn't wanted to scare or overwhelm the boy. "I'm not very much an expert on the subject, since it was before my time…"

"Shouldn't you know everything though?" Danny asked, looking confused. "I mean, you're the ghost, or, uh, Guardian, of Time. Doesn't that mean-"

"Anything regarding the Guardians I know is only what has been told to me by others. For some reason the time stream forbids be from being able to see anything about them," Clockwork responded, Danny nodding while looking even more confused. "I find it best not to over think the matter Daniel. Trying to figure out the workings of time will get you nowhere, only lost and confused."

"Got it. Leave the time thing up to you," Danny grinned, causing Clockwork to chuckle. "Okay, so...the Guardians? By the sound of it I'm guessing there was more than one or two?" Clockwork nodded before continuing their impromptu history lesson.

"Clockwise once explained to me that the Guardian's job, all the Guardians, wasn't to control, but protect. It was their, and now our, duty to guard and protect the thing they controlled. At one time there were twelve Guardians. One of them, no one really knows who, called them the Council of Twelve."

"Okay, so there were twelve guardians," Danny muttered, nodding and looking interested. "What were all the, uh, Guardian Positions?" Danny asked, Clockwork quirking an eyebrow before shaking his head and grinning.

"I'm not sure of all of them, but I do remember a few. There was the Guardian of Time, the Guardian of Dreams, the Guardian of Life, the Guardian of Weather, the Guardian of Nature, and you, the Guardian of-"

"Protection..."

At Danny's whisper Clockwork automatically tensed, wondering how the boy had even known that. He was positive that not even Andrew, history lover that he was, knew that the Guardian of the Ghost Zone had originally been called the Guardian of Protection.

Clockwork looked down to see that Danny looked dazed before blinking and looking up at him. "Huh, what? What's with the weird _you-did-something-wrong expression_, and yes, that is the expression! I know that expression! I get it enough times at home! No! No _I'm-amused-but-also-disappointed-in-your-choices _look! I know that look too thanks to Jazz! Okay...now why are you laughing..."

To be fair it was rather funny. Danny had just made Clockwork go from worried to amused all in a few seconds, which was something that was thought to be impossible. "Clockwork! What's so funny?"

"Nothing Daniel. Nothing," Clockwork grinned, finally getting his laughter under control. Of course he almost cracked up again at seeing Danny's pouting expression. How a teenager could look like a toddler he had no idea yet Danny managed to do it constantly.

"Back to my important question!" Danny frowned, "What am I supposed to do now that I'm Guardian of the Ghost Zone-"

"Protection."

"Huh?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. In his own opinion Clockwork hid his worry very well. It looked like Danny hadn't even remembered he had called himself the Guardian of Protection.

"Originally the title was the Guardian of Protection," Clockwork grinned, watching as Danny nodded without looking too surprised.

"Okay. So you said it was the Guardian's job to protect what they were in charge of or whatever...so how do I protect protection?" Clockwork didn't think he had laughed this frequently in ages. "Yes, ha ha, I'm so funny. Serious questions here Clockwork!"

"My apologies Daniel. As for the Guardian of Protection's job...it's more broader than most... You already know about your duty to escort newly made ghosts from the human realm to this one." At the nod Clockwork continued. "Expanding upon that it is also your job to protect the Ghost Zone, and the ghosts who live there, from threats."

"So...basically I'm a protector?" Danny asked, Clockwork nodding in confirmation. "Okay...so basically it's like what I do now only instead I protect the ghosts now too?"

"Basically," Clockwork grinned, Danny nodding and glancing down at his folded hands. "Any other questions?"

"A few...but I'm pretty sure if I ask them we'll be here for hours," Danny grinned, Clockwork chuckling while ruffling the teen's hair again.

"Probably. And I think you would rather eat then listen to me drone on for the rest of the day." Danny was about to protest when his stomach suddenly growled. Clockwork just grinned as Danny flushed and looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

"Didn't know ghosts ate," Danny muttered, watching as Clockwork got up and held a hand out for Danny, who was careful about his shoulder this time.

"We don't really have to but we can if we want," Clockwork explained, making sure Danny wasn't about to fall over before letting go. "And in you're case you're still half-human, so you really do have to eat."

"Yeah yeah, I get i- wait...what do you meant still?" Danny asked, looking up at Clockwork with narrowed eyes. In contrast the ghost of Time just brushed his clothing off a bit before heading towards the door.

"Did I say still?" he asked nonchalantly, not even bothering with looking back. Danny, with his eyes still narrowed, nodded sharply.

"Yes, you did. And just- Hey! Clockwork! Get back here!" Danny shouted, muttering under his breath about useless Guardians of Time before jumping into the air and phasing through the door, following Clockwork. "I know you're just trying to change the subject!"

"Not at all. I just figured you would like to eat before you pass out." Danny yelped as Clockwork suddenly spoke from above him, startling him into almost flying into a wall. "Especially since the last meal you had was a half-eaten breakfast yesterday."

"Huh...has it really been that long..." Danny mused, following Clockwork down into the Observatory and completely forgetting what he had been talking about with Clockwork. He knew it had been something important but he couldn't really remember what it was now...

He blamed his Dad's clueless genes.

X

"So...exactly how long can I stay here until my parents go into full on panic mode?" Danny asked around a bite of cereal. Who knew Clockwork actually kept Fruitloops.

"You can stay another two days, after that you'll have to go back unless you want Jasmine locking your parents in the lab to keep them from calling the police and Guys in White." At this Danny snorted before taking a drink of milk, which was happily chocolate.

"As amusing as I'm sure that would be...I'm guessing that it would probably be bad in the long run?" Danny asked, Clockwork nodding before swiping one of Danny's muffins, who frowned while glaring at the Time Master. "Hey! I was gonna eat that..."

"Daniel...you have two more on you're plate," Clockwork grinned while taking a bit of the muffin, which had turned out to be blueberry.

"Yeah...but I haven't eaten in over a day, hence why I'm stocking up," Danny muttered, taking a bit out of one of his own muffins, "Oh wow, these are good..." Danny mumbled around a mouthful of muffin while looking astonished.

"Why thank you. I made them myself." At this Danny almost spewed his muffin in shock. He did manage to choke a little, only succeeding in clearing his airways after a few pats on the back from Clockwork and a hasty gulp of milk.

"You're kidding me? You can cook? And this good?" Danny exclaimed, Clockwork rolling his eyes in response.

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment," Clockwork deadpanned. Danny blushed slightly while taking another bite of his muffin.

"Okay, but how are these still warm? I mean, they taste like they just came out of the oven."

"The Tower makes things age at a decelerated rate," Clockwork explained, Danny just shaking his head and looking amused.

"So basically that's your Guardian of Time way of saying that things age slow in this place?"

"Precisely," Clockwork grinned, Danny just chuckling before going back to eating his muffin. "Be sure to not eat too much, you'll be very busy soon." Quirking an eyebrow Danny looked amused as he finished off his muffin and started on his second one.

"Doing what exactly?" Clockwork must have had what Clockwise had called his _insane grin _because Danny gulped and suddenly paled, looking nervous. "Clockwork...what are you planning..."

"Training."

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Bwahaha! I had fun with this. So much fun. Also, if you look very closely, there's foreshadowing! Which is rare for me. Que can probably see it _still..._right, Que? XD


	9. Endgame

**So again it's one of those chapters I didn't really change much...just kinda fixed a few words and things like that... Same song too... Kay. Enjoy. **

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**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=1Fcgqv-ggRI**

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All I can say...is that World of WarCraft is a powerful addiction... A powerful addiction indeed... But to make it all up to ya this chapter will make you laugh. So much. Hopefully. It's intended to make you laugh and then yell at your computer/laptop for more. ^^ Oh, and here's a pic you simply MUST see. Que did it! You'll like it. And it pertains to the chapter! Yay!

acer-kaze dot deviantart dot com/gallery/ #/ d59cns3

And now...Enjoy!

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**Chapter 9**

**X**

"You need to be concentrating on your core more, Daniel. Letting the power flow and not forcing it."

"In case...you haven't noticed," Danny panted, straining to do as he was told and tap into his ghostly core, "I _am _trying. And don't you dare...say try harder..." Danny growled, eliciting a slight grin and chuckle from Clockwork, who was standing off to the side as Danny stood in the middle of the mostly empty room.

"Well, I wouldn't have to say things like that if you would listen to me when I told you to relax when concentrating. You're pushing instead of flowing. Abilities like these are meant to come to you as naturally as your ice powers do," Clockwork explained with Danny resisting the urge to snap at him. Again.

"I just don't get...why I can form one of these stupid things...when I was delirious and half-conscious...yet I can't do it now... When. I. Am. TRYING!" Danny screamed, finally breaking his concentrating and tugging at his hair, his wings flaring up and down with his sudden emotions. If anyone had told him how hard making wing shields was he wouldn't have bothered to be so excited at the beginning. "How do I even use these things anyways?!"

"Daniel..." Clockwork sighed, crossing his arms and looking at his pupil. Danny just glared at the ground for a few more seconds before his eyes flickered up to the ghost. Just as quickly they flickered back down to stare at the stone tiles. "It would be a miracle if you _did _manage something like this on the hundredth try, let alone the first. Things like this take time and practice-"

"Says the Guardian of Time himself," Danny grumbled, looking depressed and worn-out - he hadn't felt this helpless about his ghost-half since he had gotten his ice powers. Clockwork simply sighed again before looking amused.

"As amusing as it would be to let you assume I am some all-knowing, perfect ghost," Clockwork slightly grinned, "I messed up and made mistakes even more than you did under my training with Clockwise." At this Danny finally looked Clockwork in the eye, seeing the ghost was smiling. "Especially when I was still learning how to control the flow of time...that...that ended well for no one..."

"Why? What happened?" Danny asked, looking interested. Clockwork looked at the boy, trying to decide if he should _really _tell Danny the stories about all the times he hadn't been able to control time quickly enough and Clockwise had thrown him into walls. And the ceiling. And the floor. And _out_ the _closed _windows.

Yeah, he wasn't going to tell.

"Let's just say I ended up as beat up as you did after a week straight of constant ghost fighting in just one day," Clockwork muttered, Danny wincing at the mere thought. "When you were just starting out in your _career_."

"Oh. Wow...uh...wow...that must have been painful..." Danny muttered while thinking about it. "Alright then...if you could handle that then I can handle forming some lousy wing shield! After all, I'm great at shields." Clockwork bit back the urge to say something along the lines of pride coming before the fall. After all, at least the boy was motivated now. "So, I just have to relax...concentrate...and let the power flow..."

Danny closed his eyes, his body visibly relaxing. A second later Clockwork watched as Danny's wings flared up and the crystals started glowing a dull red, the aura spreading to the other parts of the wings. After a few seconds the aura started to surround the teen's whole body, pushing itself outwards and into a vague semblance of a sphere.

Of course it was at this point things went wrong.

Later Danny would have blamed Andrew for distracting him while Clockwork just insisted it proved how weak his concentration was. In the end the result was the same though. Danny's half-formed shield was blasted outwards which meant that Andrew was knocked back against the wall.

"Ohmygosh!" Danny shouted before darting over to the ghost, who was now sitting up and groaning, a hand going towards his head as he wondered what the hell had happened to him. All he had done was walk through the door.

"What hit me...what did I do..." If Clockwork hadn't been able to mask his emotions so well they would have seen him cracking up with laughter. "Phantom? Of course...pain always means you're around somewhere..."

"I'm so so _so _sorry! I swear I didn't think that was gonna happen!" Danny shouted, speaking quickly while fluttering from one side to the other and looking nervous. To Andrew he looked liked a scared hummingbird before the teen finally touched down and helped the ghost up. Andrew simply straightened his scarf before picking his books back up, Danny helping. "Hey, what are you doing over here anyways?"

"Didn't Clockwork tell you?" Andrew asked, looking up surprised as Danny handed him another book. At the look he received he was guessing that no, Clockwork hadn't told him. "Clockwork asked me last night to come back and teach you the history of the Guardians and the Ghost Zone and things like that. He said he would tell you when you had woken up..."

Danny was silent for a few seconds before slowly turning around and shooting a glare at Clockwork, who was now absentmindedly tinkering with his staff and murmuring something about gears. "No...he didn't mention anything about it..."

"Ah," Andrew replied, fiddling with his scarf with his spare hand. Danny watched him for a few seconds before grinning, getting a rather fun, and slightly idiotic, idea.

"Don't you think that's a little cruel though, _Andy_... Giving me extra history...less...ons..." Danny's teasing trailed off at the same time he began backing up. Clockwork seemed to notice his pupil's sudden anxiety since he looked up worried before grinning upon seeing the situation. He probably should have told Danny not to call the ghost Andy.

"My name...is not...**ANDY**!" Andrew practically screeched, startling Danny into backing up even more. He would have tripped over his own feet if he hadn't been able to fly. "Mother thought that would just be _SO _cute! _Andy _and _Randy_... IT WAS NOT CUTE IT WAS _TORTURE_! WHY SHE CHOSE TO INFLICT SUCH **HORRIBLE **NAMES UPON US I HAVE NO IDEA _BUT_-" Andrew cut himself off, the suddenness causing Danny to float back even more. Andrew stared at him for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Two questions Phantom. One, why do you have a red shield around you?" At this Danny looked around himself, shocked, at noticing that he had finally produced one of the wing shields he had been working on for half a day. "And two...how do you know my real name?" At this Danny just pointed to Clockwork, who looked over at the two before grinning. "Of course..."

"Well, now that you've finally leaned how to tap into the powers of your wings, and by extension your core, you can start your history lesson with Andrew," Clockwork grinned, heading for the door. Danny just nodded, still too startled by Andrew's outburst to really fight back or put up any protest.

"Right..." Andrew muttered, trying to hold back the numerous curses that he wanted to throw out at the Guardian of Time. "Alright Phantom, I guess we should start with the very beginning. The forming of the Ghost Zone. You can also drop your shield now," Andrew smiled. Danny just flushed before nodding, the shield fading away as he did so.

"Right. I knew that... So...exactly how long has the Ghost Zone been around?" At Andrew's grin Danny was instantly regretting his question. He had done his homework with the ghost before so he knew that grin.

It was going to be a long day.

X

"Just how long can one ghost talk..." Danny grumbled while floating lazily down one of the Tower's hallways. He had just finished his history lesson with Andrew, four hours after Clockwork had left the two. "I don't even think I remembered anything..." Danny groaned, stopping to lean against one of the walls. How the ghost had talked for four hours without Danny learning anything he didn't know.

"Wonder what Clockwork's been up to..." Danny muttered, floating down the hallway and turning toward the Observatory, going invisible as he did so. Sure he would probably never manage to sneak up on Clockwork but the impossible never really stopped him from trying before. Case in point, trying to beat Dan.

Sneaking around the corner Danny saw that Clockwork was muttering under his breath while looking at four of his mirrors, all of which were showing nothing but black screens. Well, that and Clockwork was looking more than a little frustrated. Actually he looked like he did when dealing with the Observants.

Murderous.

Chuckling under his breath Danny floated up behind the ghost, doing his best to be as quiet as possible. If someone was gonna cheer up Clockwork it might as well be him. And he knew just the way to do it, which would probably mean he would end up making a fool of himself. The idea was to jump onto Clockwork's back and hang off of him, like he used to do with Jazz and his dad when he was little.

Now, what _would _happen is that Clockwork, being Master of all Time and such, would see it coming and turn intangible. The end result would be Danny strewn across the floor with a now amused Clockwork standing over him, which was the goal. So the second Danny made his move he braced himself for hitting the floor.

He was therefore surprised when he managed to actually wrap his arms around the ghost's shoulders.

He was also startled to feel Clockwork tense for a second, as if he hadn't expected Danny to suddenly jump onto his back. Catching the elder's gaze Danny just grinned before readjusting his grip, causing Clockwork to quirk an eyebrow while doing his best not to grin. "Daniel...what are you doing?"

"I just had a four-hour history lesson. I'm bored," Danny muttered while looking over Clockwork's shoulders to see the giant screens, which were still black. "What are you doing anyways...you don't even have any images on the screen... Unless it's some mystical ghost image that only the Guardian of Time can see or something." At this Clockwork snorted, shaking his head.

"Just trying to pinpoint something down," Clockwork muttered absentmindedly, "At least, I was. Before someone decided it would be a good idea to jump on my back without any warning."

"I told you! I was bored!" Danny whined, frowning while watching as Clockwork waved his staff, the screens going blank. "Besides, what I wanna know is why you actually let me jump on you. Usually you would have let me phase through you and then turned towards me with this all-knowing _I-knew-what-was-going-to-hap_...pen..." Danny trailed off, his body tensing.

"Daniel, something wrong?" Clockwork asked, sounding only slightly worried. Danny seemed to notice the worry since his eyes narrowed as he glared at Clockwork seriously.

"Clockwork. I managed to sneak up on you," Danny muttered, sounding more than a little shocked. He noticed that Clockwork was tinkering with the time staff again, looking as nonchalant as possible. A little too nonchalant if you asked Danny. "Clockwork."

"I'm assuming there's a reason why you're telling me you sneaked up on me?" Clockwork asked, sounding slightly amused. Danny would have brushed his worries off as him being paranoid if he hadn't seen Clockwork move to adjust one of the watches around his wrist. Two years of visits to Clockwork's had let Danny learn some of his mannerisms by now, and that one meant one thing.

Clockwork was nervous.

"I surprised you. You don't get surprised. You're the Master _and _Guardian of Time..." Danny muttered, finally releasing his hold on Clockwork and floating around to where he was staring the ghost in the eye. "You didn't see me surprising you. Why?" Clockwork stared at the teen for a few seconds before sighing and slightly releasing his hold on the staff.

"Ironic how others consider you clueless yet you're anything but..." Clockwork murmured, slightly grinning at Danny's confused expression. "Yes. You surprised me."

"Aha! I knew it!" Danny exclaimed, causing Clockwork to snort and roll his eyes. "So, wait... I surprised the Master of Time! Yes! Wait, no, that's bad. That's bad, right?"

"I...suppose in a way it's bad..." Clockwork trailed off, Danny looking worried. "I told you how the future is clouded, right?" At the nod he continued. "I suppose...think of it like this. Before the parade was clouded by small white clouds-"

"So you could still see, but it was slightly obscured?"

"Precisely. Now it's turned into a thunderstorm..."

"You can't see anything?!" Danny shouted, looking shocked. Clockwork merely sighed before nodding his head, looking worried himself.

"I can see glimpses, but that's about it. Someone, or some_thing _has been blocking my sight..." Danny nodded while a look of realization was suddenly on his face.

"Oh! So that's why I was able to repel you with my wings the other night! And why you looked tired after stopping time to get me to take that awful poison!"

"It was medicine Daniel," Clockwork grinned, slightly berating himself for underestimating the boy's observational skills. He shouldn't have been too surprised. His ghost half was his son and his human half was the son of scientists. Really it was just emotions he had trouble understanding.

"Nuance," Danny grinned, Clockwork looking slightly impressed. "Hey, I learn in English. Sometimes...okay so it was mainly due to Andrew's influence..."

"Ah, no more Andy then?" Clockwork asked, trying to hold back his laughter at the brief hint of fear on the boy's face.

"You...you are evil..." Danny muttered, looking slightly betrayed. "I mean...just...you planned this from the start, didn't you!"

"Now now Daniel, do you really think I would plan something like that when I have so much trouble seeing into the future as it is?"

"Yes," Danny replied, no hesitation or doubt in his voice. Clockwork just grinned while walking towards the kitchen, Danny following. A couple hours of training and then four hours of history tended to make a half-ghost hungry. "So...you said clouds were blocking the parade, right? Any chance of those clouds clearing up?"

"Not likely," Clockwork sighed, looking frustrated. "All I've been able to see lately is a glimpse of some...monster I suppose," Clockwork muttered, not noticing Danny's sudden shiver.

"Monster? You mean like Pariah or something?" Danny asked, somehow knowing that wasn't the answer even before he had asked.

"No...far worse than Pariah..." Clockwork muttered, Danny suddenly paling. "Daniel? You alright?"

"_You fool! Those three are mere playground bullies compared to what is about to break free!_"

"Daniel!" Danny suddenly shook his head, a little shocked to see how worried Clockwork was looking.

"What...what did I do?" Danny asked, sounding weary. The elder ghost just sighed, sounding relieved. "That...was weird..."

"What? The fact that you zoned out and didn't even seem to hear me?" Clockwork rhetorically asked, his worry still there. Danny just frowned at the ghost before scratching the back of his head, looking confused.

"I...zoned out?" At that Clockwork looked even more worried than before. "Huh...didn't feel like it...just heard some weird voice, like, flash-back like voice... Where did I hear that before..." Clockwork just shook his head, looking half-worried and half-amused. Normal things never _would _happen to Daniel... "Oh hey, you said you got a glimpse of the future, right? What was it?"

"Hm? Just a split second of a glimpse really...although it felt more real than anything I've seen in a long time..." Clockwork muttered, thinking back to the glimpse he had gotten the other day. "Maniacal laughter, rotting corpses, and glowing chains. Not much to go on really- Daniel? Daniel!"

"**I'm just a figment of your imagination boy...or at least...for now I am..."**

X

"Ugh...what happened..." Danny muttered, sounding dazed. He looked up to see that Clockwork was standing over him and looking relieved out of his mind. For a Guardian of Time he sure became easily worried, or at least where Danny was concerned.

"You fainted. Right after I started telling you about the glimpse of the future I had seen," Clockwork frowned, Danny looking confused before he remembered the words he had heard in his dream.

"Dream...dream... That's right! Clockwork! I had a dream, or, uh, well, nightmare! And some beast thing in it sounded a lot like what you glimpsed," Danny muttered, Clockwork suddenly looking serious. "It started out with some Ghostly Voice from the Sky trying to warn me about some _great _evil...I had heard him before too, in a dream right after I got my Guardian wings! Then he just kinda vanished. After that..." At this part Danny shivered. Just remembering the dream gave him chills.

"I only saw a cave, with glimpses of something inside. But the voice...it sounded...twisted," Danny muttered, clutching the ends of his cloak. Clockwork looked worried but didn't interrupt. "He...he said...he said that he was only a figment of my imagination...for now... After that...Dan showed up..." Danny muttered, clutching his stomach in phantom pain. Clockwork seemed to notice since his eyes suddenly narrowed, looking concerned.

"It hurt." At the questioning look Danny elaborated. "When Dan attacked. It hurt. I _felt _the pain...it was...real..." At this point Clockwork was _definitely _looking worried about what was happening to his son. "That was around the time I woke up and, uh, kinda tackled you." At the sheepish look on the teen's face Clockwork slightly relaxed, knowing Danny would be fine. "Then you cheated and sent be back to sleep...

"There was a third voice though," Danny muttered, trying to remember what had happened at the end of the dream. "She was in the first dream I had the other night and she also chased off whatever the hell that beast thing was...and..."

_"I'm one of the good guys, remember? Besides, Clockwork promised that you wouldn't have any more nightmares, right?"_

"She said not to worry because she and the voice from before were the _good guys_...and..." At this part Danny snorted, causing Clockwork to quirk his brow in question. "She said that you had promised I wouldn't have any more nightmares." At Clockwork's expression Danny laughed, causing Clockwork to just sigh and shake his head.

As if Danny becoming Guardian wasn't worrying enough now he had ghostly voices giving him messages.

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I wanted to clarify that Ghostly Voice in the Sky is different from The Girl at the End. Just to let you know. Yeah...so...next chapter will be, uh, soon-ish? I think...*darts off*


	10. White Clouds

**Okay...lets see. I have a video for you to watch and then a song. The song is the full-length version of what's in the video. I am just linking the video because it's beautiful and if you haven't seen it by now then you neeed to. **

**youtube com/watch?v=Rk6_hdRtJOE & list=LLs - 6D _ q3XiEqZ45lURe3Lcg **

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=CdDDY5nVA3A**

**Enjoy!**

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Heheh... Hello all. This is Chapter 10. I believe in one chapter I mentioned a** trailer**, yes? Right then, _**watch this video**_ and then read the chapter... I did warn you we were getting close to the Plot, correct? Heheh...oh, and don't blame Que. This one was mostly me. Especially the end there, she had no idea what I was doing...

Enjoy...

**youtube dot com/watch?v = aSuXg9o8qTE & feature= channel&list =UL**

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**Chapter 10**

X

"Jazz, would you please stop staring at me already! It's sorta starting to freak me out..." Danny muttered the last part while swiveling around in his chair as he tried to concentrate on that day's homework. He was finding it hard since his sister was staring at him so intently, that and he had watched her stop herself from touching his wings multiple times. He currently had the count at nine.

"Well forgive me if I'm not used to seeing my little brother with wings," Jazz grumbled, crossing her arms and readjusting her position on the bed. Danny had been home for almost two days now and she still wasn't used to seeing his Guardian wings. Of course he kept them hidden most of the time but in his room he was able to let them show without freaking out about being seen too badly.

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us," Danny muttered before going back to flipping through his history book. He was starting to think it was rather pointless since his mind was nowhere near history, or at least, not Earth's history.

"So...how's your training with Clockwork going?" Jazz asked, for probably the third time that day. Danny was actually more amused than anything. Jazz often showed her worry by asking him if he was okay and if things were going good, over and over again.

"I told you already, it's going fine...although we did learn to leave the windows open after last night..." Danny mused, slightly smiling. Jazz just raised an eyebrow while Danny shook his head in response. "I can't explain it Jazz. Just...know that the Master of All Time does not seem as emotionless and stoic as you think."

"Exactly why do you have to keep the windows open now?" Jazz asked, sounding slightly worried. Danny just snorted, the memory of Clockwork flying out one of the windows popping into his head.

"I can't explain it Jazz...it's just too unexplainable," Danny grinned, turning around in his chair to look at Jazz, who was just shaking her head at her baby brother. "So how are your classes? Still getting straight As like usual?" At Jazz's look Danny frowned. "What? What did I do?"

"Okay, what's wrong?" Jazz asked, giving her brother her undivided attention. At the boy's look she just frowned. "Danny you've been doing this since you were little. Every time you had a problem and you couldn't think of how to ask for my opinion you would bring up schoolwork. Now. What's wrong?"

"You're too smart for your own good...you know that right?" Danny asked, slightly smiling. Jazz just grinned before patting the space beside her, Danny sighing before standing up, folding his wings, and climbing on the bed to lean against the wall alongside his sister. "Okay... It's just...well..."

"You're worried that you're not right for the job of Guardian?" Jazz asked, sounding half-amused. Danny just frowned while muttering under his breath about his family being full of damn mind readers. "Danny, how many times must we go over this? You're perfect for the job of Guardian of Zone Protecting or whatever it is." Danny snorted, shaking his head before Jazz lightly slapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, but...what if I mess up?" Danny asked, starting to look nervous. Jazz sighed, wondering how her brother was unable to see just how good he was. "Or someone dies or fades because I wasn't there in time to save them! Or what if something happens and I fail as Guardian, and then Clockwork or Andrew takes the blame...what if something happens to them?! Jazz!" Danny whined, looking close to a panic attack.

"Whoa whoa little brother, calm down," Jazz soothed him, placing her hands on his cheeks so she could turn his head towards hers. "Easy...it's going to be fine. You're one of the strongest ghosts in the Ghost Zone. For two years you've been protecting this town from any and all threats. You're being trained by the Master of Time. You have so many friends willing to help you any time you need it... You are going to be fine," Jazz stressed, watching as Danny slowly calmed down.

"We never had this conversation, right?"

"Whatever you say Danny," Jazz grinned, happy that Danny was back to his usual self. "Now, why were you so worried about this Andrew in particular? I mean, Clockwork I understand. He's basically another father to you and you look up and respect him. But Andrew...seems a little random doesn't it..." At this point Jazz was wearing what Danny liked to call her _I-know-something-you-don't-but-you-will-figure-out-and-when-you-do-I'll-laugh _grin. He actually hadn't seen that grin since Sam had confessed her feelings for him.

That had been an interesting day.

"What do you mean? Why can't I be worried about Andrew? I worry about all my friends!" Danny protested, not even knowing why he automatically started to blush. Jazz saw the red on his face and just grinned even wider.

"Oh no, I understand that you're worried about your friends but what I was wondering is why you listed his name in particular. I mean, you have a lot of friends in the Ghost Zone, right?" Danny looked so lost and confused Jazz had to control the urge to squeal and hug him. "Well?"

"Uh...well...maybe it's because...I've been spending a lot of time with him lately?" Danny half-asked, looking trapped. Jazz just hummed before looking thoughtful.

"Well, I suppose that could be it... You have been spending a lot of time with him lately, even more than Sam and Tucker... Why is that, little brother?" At this Danny paused, as if he too just realized the same thing.

"Uh, well...I guess...because he's been teaching me about the Ghost Zone and things!" Danny grinned, glad that he had finally found a viable excuse. Surely his sister couldn't argue with him when it came to his education! It was simply against everything she believed in. Jazz just raised an eyebrow again while looking amused.

"I see. So you would rather learn history from a ghost than hang-out with your life-long friends?" At this Danny looked stunned, as if he hadn't thought of it that way. "Sounds like you _like _him..." At the _like_ part Danny noticed that her sister had almost sang the word.

"Well, of course I like him. He's a good friend, and he helped me out when I got my Guardian wings and powers...why wouldn't I like him? I mean, he's really not that bad once you get past the whole trapped-in-a-poem thing," Danny slightly chuckled, Jazz looking far more amused than she should be.

"I see..." Jazz grinned, Danny looking hesitant.

"You see...what exactly?" the teen asked, looking as if he would rather not know. Jazz just grinned before waving her hand, as if waving the question away.

"Oh nothing, nothing. Just a little theory I had going on. It has now been proven correct," Jazz smiled, looking happy. She always did love when a theory was proven correctly, especially _these _theories. "Actually, that's _two _theories proven correctly...you know Danny..." At this the teen payed attention, since his sister suddenly looked so serious and solemn. "You can talk to me about anything."

"O...kay?" Danny half-asked, looking confused at the turn in conversation. Jazz just nodded, satisfied that Danny knew, although... Maybe she should stress it just _one _more time.

"Danny. I mean it. You can come to me for _any _problems of _any _nature..._any_..." Jazz stressed, looking to see if Danny had understood. The teen just looked half-amused and half-confused.

"When you wanna start making sense I'll be over there, trying to concentrate on my history homework," Danny grinned, standing up and going back to sit in his chair. Jazz sighed, realizing that she had yet again failed. It's not like she could make it any more obvious without scaring the poor kid... Well...he would understand eventually. He was rather smart when he wanted to be after all.

"Oh yeah, have you gotten any more of those weird dreams lately?" Jazz asked, sounding half-worried and half-interested. Danny blamed the interested part on the fact that their parents were scientists. "No. Clockwork did say if I had any more though that I should tell him as soon as I could..." Jazz frowned while leaning back against the wall.

"I don't understand though...why would they be contacting you, and why now?" Jazz muttered, talking more to herself than anything. Danny just snorted while scribbling something on the piece of paper in front of him.

"That's the same as asking why _I _was chose as Guardian of Protection," Danny muttered, Jazz frowning again.

"That is a good question...why _were _you chosen. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're the perfect person for this sort of thing... I just... Wouldn't it have made more sense to be chosen after you became a _full _ghost?" Jazz asked, getting into her scientific mindset, which was starting to worry Danny. That and one of the voices in his dreams had said the same thing. "You getting these powers even though you're still half-ghost...there has to be a reason as to why it's happening now..."

"You sound like Andrew," Danny grinned, Jazz looking over at him in confusion. "When I first got my wings he said that I wouldn't have gone through that much pain unless they meant something..."

"Yeah but...wait..._that much pain_... You said it hadn't hurt!" Jazz accused, sounding somewhat betrayed. Danny paled while trying to figure out a way to either disappear or make his sister change the subject. "How much pain were you in? Danny?!"

"Well...I...almost...faded?" Danny half-asked, looking worried. He cursed his inability to lie to his sister. He just couldn't. It was pointless anyways since she could almost always tell when he was lying.

"FADED?!" Jazz screeched, jumping up and running over, poking and prodding Danny for wounds out of instinct and habit. When she touched his shoulder he had to bite back a hiss. He didn't have to wear bandages anymore but it still rather hurt. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

"Cause I knew you would freak out? Besides, I didn't want you or anybody to worry..." Danny muttered, trying to figure out how fast he could be out the door and hiding behind his parents. Jazz knew not to talk about ghost stuff in front of them. At the same time Jazz was cursing Danny's hero-complex.

"Danny..." Jazz sighed, sounding weary while sitting down on the edge of the bed again, "You need to learn to tell other people about your problems, and when you're hurt. You need to understand that-"

"Bottling up my emotions will negatively affect my psyche and may lead to depression and other mental illness," Danny recited, sounding as if he was reading from a book. Jazz looked surprised for a second before slightly grinning and crossing her arms.

"Exactly." Danny just shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he turned back to his history homework. "What are you even doing to have been staring at that page for the last hour?" Jazz mused, standing up and looking over the teen's shoulder. Danny tried to hide it, to no avail. Jazz merely grabbed the paper and held it out of reach.

"Are these...doodles?" Jazz asked, looking at the drawings. Danny just flushed while trying to grab the piece of paper from her. He cursed the fact that he was still only around Jazz's height, maybe even a little shorter, instead of being taller. Why couldn't he have gotten his Dad's height genes instead of his Mom's petite figure.

"Jazz, give it!" Danny growled, trying to grab the paper, only for Jazz to dance out of reach and jump on the bed, still looking at the drawings.

"Wow Danny, you're really good!" Jazz smiled, looking at the artwork. It had a slight cartoon style to it but it was really well done for a page of doodles, "Hold on...I recognize Clockwork, but who..."

"Jazz! Give it!" Danny shouted, trying to get the picture. Jazz grinned while looking over at Danny, who was blushing a fierce red.

"Aw...you drew a picture of you and Andrew, that's so adorable!"

"Jazz!" Said adult sister simply laughed while jumping off the bed, running towards the door with the intent to show their parents Danny's excellent artistic skills. "Jazz! Give that back! Jazz!"

"Hey Mom! Dad! Look what Danny drew!" Jazz called out, already going down the stairs. Danny gaped for a few seconds before growling. Concentrating for a split second he quickly closed his wings and made them invisible. Clockwork had shown him how to keep the wings hidden without thinking about it, which he had been grateful for.

"**JAZZ!**"

X

"_You know you won't be able to win this battle...it's the most solid of rules for life. The bad guys never win," _a voice spoke out, sounding shaky and weak in the empty space that surrounded it. Even weak as it sounded though the voice seemed to carry it's own power, it also sounded cocky and confident.

"**In your little fairy tales perhaps...but you're forgetting this is real life...the **_**bad guys **_**often do win..." **a dark voice chuckled in reply, sounding twisted and misshapen. **"Besides, exactly what do you plan on doing? This is the first potential Guardian in what, decades? He'll fail just like all the others..."**

"_Pft, says you," _the feminine voice snapped back, sounding even more cocky than before. A wobbly figure of an average-height girl took form before fading again._"Besides...the Council of Twelve is reforming-"_

"**IMPOSSIBLE! THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN DESTROYED! FOR GOOD!" **the voice roared, sounding more animal than anything else. The girl's voice just chuckled, sounding amused.

"_Starting to get a little worried...are we? You know I'm right...I see the destination, always and forever..." _the voice trailed off, sounding as old as the world itself. The animal like voice just growled, a deep reverberating sound that seemed to shake the blackness they were in.

"**You think you'll win?! You are- Wait...what is..." **the voice trailed off, a sense of worrying coming from the female voice that had been speaking. **"Ha...ahaha...AHAHAH! YOU LOSE GUARDIAN OF DESTINY! THE BOY WILL DIE AND FADE!"**

"_Impossible..." _the female breathed, sounding half-worried and half-scared. _"You lie beast! There is no way he could die as powerful as he is now! Not unless...unless..."_

"**Ahaha...precisely little girl," **the beast breathed, sounding far happier than one should. A quick glimpse of glowing green chains were shown before the light dulled. A few seconds later and the sound of metal breaking and rusting was heard.

"_Im...impossible! It can't be! The chains...they're..."_

"**AHAHAHA! THEY ARE BREAKING! FINALLY I WILL BE FREE!" **A blast of pure yellow energy was thrown towards the beast, causing it to snarl in pain and rage. **"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**

"_You will never be free," _the voice hissed, sounding as if it was close to disappearing all together. _"I don't care if it takes every _ounce _of my power. I will see to it that you are _never _free..."_

"**You foolish girl..." **the beast growled, the sound of chains rattling accompanying it. **"You know **_**nothing. **_**Did you think it was my power that was breaking these chains? No you fool...it is a power **_**far **_**greater than anything you could imagine..."**

"_What are you talking about?!" _the feminine voice finally shouted, sounding frustrated and angry, _"The only powers as great as yours are the Guardians! The Council of Twelve! Nothing could break those chains! They would have to be stronger than all of us combined!"_

"**Exactly..." **the voice breathed, a shiver of fear finally wracking through the being who belonged to the female voice. **"Did you really think we were the only beings with such power as ours?! Guarding the universe, pah! It's pathetic! Why guard when you can **_**control**_**..."**

"_What are you talking about?!" _At this maniacal laughter filled the space. The same Clockwork had heard in his vision and Danny in his dream._"Answer me! What are you planning Alvarro?!"_

"**After ten thousand years the time has come...revenge...is **_**mine**_**...AHAHAHA!" **As the crazy laughter filled the air the being of the female voice finally felt the last ounces of her power being drawn away. Cursing she served the connection that had allowed her to talk to the beast in the first place.

"_It's time...for his test..."_


	11. If Today Was Your Last Day

**Um, okay, gotta hurry. Que is burning my Christmas present right now and I'm very much worried... *whimpers* She's evil but I very much approve of- OH MY GOD IT'S ONE FIRE! HERE'S YOUR CHAPTER NOW READ WHILE I SAVE MY PRESENT!**

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**The last edit tag...for now anyways... *cough* Alright. After this we'll be caught up to the next chapter, which I will be uploading tonight. As always, me and Que have a song to go with this chapter. I'm sure as soon as you hear the opening notes you will be cursing, screaming and generally trying to kill us. ^^ Enjoy.**

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=dZ78qgMYEDs**

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Ta-dah! New chapter! So, I got a lot of concerns about the Danny/Andrew thing in the last chapter... **DON'T WORRY. **That was probably the biggest hint of romance you'll get. From now on it centers around Danny and the plot, so you don't have to worry, okay? And for those of you who do support the paring? Heh...let's just say all things come to those who wait.

In other news did you all hear about Curiosity? The Mars Rover that just landed the other day! August 5th at 10:31pm Pacific Standard Time (California coast) it finally landed on Mars! I didn't know about it till I someone in my guild on World of WarCraft told me. XD Then in my mail I saw Que had mentioned it too. It was her idea to work it into the story, I mean, NASA-obsessed Danny? Too perfect! So thanks for the amazing ideas as always Que! You rule!

So, enjoy!

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**Chapter Eleven**

x

"TOUCHDOWN! CURIOSITY HAS FINALLY LANDED!" After 36 weeks, 254 days, and one hell of a journey the Mars Rover, Curiosity, had finally landed on the surface of the planet Mars. Unfortunately Danny's enthusiasm had some rather adverse effects on the rest of the Fenton family.

"_GHOST_! QUICK MADS! GRAB THE GUNS AND SHOOT! SHOOT!"

"JACK! NO! IT'S NOT A GHOST! NO, DO _NOT _GRAB THE NEW ECTO-GUNS!"

"DANNY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SCREAMING AT NIGHT AND WAKING EVERYONE UP?! YOU KNOW THIS JUST ENCOURAGES THEM TO ACT EVEN MORE CRAZY THAN THEY ALREADY DO!"

"JASMINE! WE ARE NOT CRAZY!"

Danny Fenton, while tuning out the rest of the argument, grinned from ear to ear while staring at his computer screen, watching the NASA channel about the building and launching of Curiosity, and the successful landing. Just a few minutes ago at precisely 10:31pm, at least in his time zone, Curiosity had finally landed. He did _not _plan on missing a second of it either.

So he may have accidentally startled his parents and sister awake after they had just gotten asleep, and he may have also possibly been the direct cause of the house burning down due to his Dad's rapid firing of the new and improved ecto-gun that was meant to destroy a ghost painfully and _molecule-by-molecule_... In his opinion though it was so totally worth it.

"_Finally! _Curiosity has finally landed!" Danny squealed, rather highly for someone in his vocal range, before jotting down notes in one of his many notebooks about NASA and the like. He was positive he was going to get chewed out later by both Jazz and Maddie, but it would be worth it. Really, just how many Mars rovers did he get to do research on anymore?

He was a half-ghost superhero and had his duty to protect his town from any and all threats so really it was rare when he got a chance to just visit the site, but watching and learning about a new rover? So a terrifying creature that was pure evil and more powerful than Dan and Pariah, and the Fruitloop, combined was out to kill him...it could wait till he did his research dammit!

Besides, Clockwork had actually let him off training so he could watch and he was _not _going to waste that. Getting Clockwork to let him out of training was a miracle in itself, and a rare one at that.

"Danny! Go back to sleep!" The teen just looked at the door as if his mom had just said that she loved ghosts and they were all going to move in with Vlad now. Horrified. How could she think he could possibly sleep when the Mars Rover had just landed?! "NOW!"

Well...he could always get back up and use the headphones he supposed...

X

"Danny! It's time to get up! Go ahead and get breakfast when you're done getting ready for school while your father and I try to clean up what's left of the bathroom...again..."

Danny barely even registered the sound of his mother's voice let alone the fact that she was now grumbling under her breath about hiding the ecto-weapons in the Fenton Weapons Vault. He probably would have been able to concentrate on her instructions more if it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't even slept last night. He had been too busy doing NASA research on Curiosity and the like.

"Yeah...yeah. Give me a minute!" Danny shouted, still scribbling as fast as he could in the open notebook. In one of his browser windows he had the real-time video of Curiosity's building and comments from the scientists and the like while in the other he was looking at pictures and facts and other interactive features.

"_Now _Danny!" Danny just groaned while finally getting out of his seat and looking for his bag which had his still unfinished history homework from the day before. He had been getting ready to do it...and then Clockwork had told him to go to the NASA website... So technically he supposed it was the Master of Time's fault for him not getting his history homework done on time.

Danny snorted, wondering if the teacher would actually believe that.

"Honestly," Danny grumbled to himself, "just how many times do I get to watch an _actual _Mars Rover landing... And I can't even enjoy it because I have _school_! Bet they won't even comment on it..." Danny continued muttering while trying to tug a shirt on over his messy bed-hair, which looked more disheveled than usual. Seeing white out of the corner of his eye startled him till he just saw it was his reflection in the mirror. "Still not used to that white stripe..."

About to sigh, look away, and complain some more Danny stopped, looking in the mirror closer. Darting forward he opened his mouth in disbelief, wondering if he was just imagining things. Touching what looked like a fang, and drawing blood from his finger, he realized no. He was not hallucinating or dreaming. They were real...

He had fangs.

"Oh Clockwork...I am so gonna get you back..." Danny muttered while wiping the blood off on the inside of his shirt and wondering how neither him nor his friends had noticed by now. Well...they _were_ rather small fangs. Still though..._fangs_?

"And you had better not be watching more of that Mars Rover landing!" At this Danny was startled out of his muttering as he stared at the door, wondering what would happen if he actually shot a small ecto blast at it. Probably set off the ghost alarms and send his family into a frenzy.

"Mom...it's the landing of Curiosity... I don't get to enjoy things like this that often!" Mostly due to his ghost-hunting career but his mom didn't need to know that part. "I mean...this rover will be on it's mission for two years and then another year to get back!" Danny shouted, all while stuffing things in his bag and phasing his wings through his shirt. "I mean...jeez, I can't even enjoy the landing of the most recent Mars Rover..."

"You can enjoy it all you want when you get home. School first!" Danny had to quickly bite back the urge to say he couldn't watch when he got home because he had ghost patrol and then more training with Clockwork. He was sure that wouldn't have gone over very well.

"Fine...I guess I'll just miss HISTORY IN THE MAKING!" Danny shouted, close to screaming. He heard Jazz shout something to their parents about repressing his creative output but other than that silence just met his answer. "At least Clockwork appreciated the landing enough to give me last night off..." Danny groused, pulling on his shoes while searching for the Fenton Thermos, which he had learned to never leave without. "Hm...maybe I can convince him to ditch tonight's training and watch some of the footage with me!" Danny grinned, excited at having that to look forward to at the least.

He was sure Clockwork would just give him the _look _before sighing and agreeing to watch a few minutes with him. If he was really lucky he would be able to get out of training and watch until he was finally kicked out of the Tower.

X

"And just what are you so excited about?" Sam watched as her best friend all but bounced down the steps of Fenton Works, looking far too happy for this early in the morning. Beside her Tucker just snicked while looking up from his PDA and grinning.

"I'm guessing from your bouncing you managed to catch the Mars landing last night?" At this Sam grinned, finally understanding why Danny was so happy. Even if they all knew he would never be an astronaut he was still as obsessed with space stuff as he could be.

"Of course! Like I would miss that for anything," Danny grinned, walking up to take his place between his two best friends as they walked towards school. "Besides, Clockwork gave me the night off training so I could go and watch it all! You guys should have seen it, it was amazing! They had a live video feed from mission control and a real time simulator so you could watch everything as it was happening!"

As Danny kept talking about the landing, with Tucker commenting just enough to _keep_ him talking, Sam grinned while lightly rolling her eyes. She was glad that Danny had found something to keep his mind off being the new Guardian for a little while. After all he had been through lately he needed a break...

X

"Danny...what are you doing?" Said teenager half-ghost simply looked up to meet Sam's raised eyebrows. Looking down to see he was holding his best friends PDA he could see why she was asking. He usually hated the little device.

"Uh...nothing?" Danny half-asked, all while pressing a few buttons and adjusting the Fenton Phones so he could hear better. Tucker was beside him with his own pair of the strange earbuds and he too was staring at the little screen.

"You two are watching more videos about that rover, aren't you?" Sam asked, sighing while taking a bite of her salad. The three were currently sitting at their usual table in the lunch room, eating what the cafeteria dared to call food. "Haven't you already watched enough of that in class? You know, when you were supposed to be _listening_?"

"Who needs class? This is history in the making!" Tucker grinned, watching as Danny worked his way around the PDA about as fast as Tucker could when he was in a hurry, "Whoa, dude, when did you get so good at that?"

"Mom and Dad had a ghost-hunting _class _that they made me and Jazz listen too. It was stupid and pointless since I already knew everything about ghost-hunting that they were telling me but I _did _learn some neat tricks on how to work the equipment, and I gotta say, Jazz is better with the weapons than we give her credit for..." Danny muttered the last part, staring off into space for a few seconds.

Sam just shook her head while going back to re-reading one of her goth books. The way her friends were now she wouldn't be getting any more conversation out of them for a while. It was quite for about half a minute, which was a new record for them.

"AAH! GHOST!" At the screaming all three turned to look towards the windows of the cafeteria where they could hear screaming from the students who had chosen to eat outside, who were now probably regretting that decision.

"Great...couldn't they leave me alone for one day!" Danny growled, standing up and grabbing the Fenton Thermos from his bag and passing it to Sam, "Honestly, the one day I want a little piece- huh..."

"What?" Sam asked, looking up from the thermos to see that Danny had cut himself off and was looking confused and worried. "What's wrong?"

"My ghost sense didn't go off..." Danny muttered, looking towards the green aura of the ghost. He wasn't sure which ghost was out there but the fact that his ghost sense didn't go off made him weary about what he was about to face.

"Yeah, but, your ghost sense doesn't go off around Clockwork either," Tucker pointed out while all three started running towards the outside doors, "Maybe it's just a on-off thing..."

"No, I asked about that. Clockwork said it was because other Guardians have a defense mechanism that lets them cloak their signatures from other ghosts," Danny panted as the three skidded around the corner, watching students and teachers run past them.

"So you can't sense other Guardians?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Danny nodded while kicking the door open before stopping dead in his tracks and staring up at the ghost that had decided to wreak havoc on them today.

"That...is not a normal ghost..." Tucker muttered, slightly backing up to hide behind Danny.

"I'm not even sure if that's a ghost..." Danny muttered, looking at the giant animal before him. It looked a little like Cujo did when he was angry. If Cujo was a purple, black-stripped tiger with six legs. And a tail that ended in spikes. And saber-tooth fangs. "Well, whatever it is, it's going down! I'm Going Ghost!"

At Danny's signature battle cry the now black transformation rings flew up his body, changing the average Danny Fenton into the powerful Guardian of Protection Danny Phantom.

"You know, I'm still not used to seeing you like that," Sam mused, slightly smirking. Danny just rolled his eyes while stretching out his wings, the crystals glowing a bright red.

"Alright kitty, let's see just how tough you are," Danny grinned while jumping into the air, the purple cloak flying out behind him. "Here kitty kitty, wanna play?" The tiger's head just turned towards Danny, looking him up and down before doing something close to a snort. "Hey! That's rude!"

Roaring the tiger lunged, Danny turning intangible and dodging before calling up one of his ghost rays. Grinning he rapidly fired ten shots straight towards the creature, who howled in rage as a few of them hit. Danny flew straight towards the tiger before suddenly stopping in his tracks as the beast went invisible and disappeared.

"Oh, so you wanna play hide-and-seek then?" Danny raised an eyebrow, looking around before a sudden pain in his back alerted him to the fact that the spiked tail wasn't just for show. It was actually rather painful. Narrowing his eyes Danny quickly turned around and fired a shot at where he had felt the pain come from, cursing when all the blast hit was a patch of grass.

"Where are you..." Danny muttered, looking around for the tell-tell signs of movement. Seeing none he stayed perfectly still while raising his wings and concentrating. According to Clockwork his wings could sense the ecto-energy of portals, so it made sense that they could sense the aura of ghosts as well. "Aha! Got you!" Danny grinned while firing a large ball of energy towards what looked like an empty field.

"Nice shot Danny!" Tucker cheered, him and Sam watching as the tiger faded back into the visible spectrum before growling again, tail swishing back and forth in agitation.

"Ha! Nothing to it!" Danny grinned, looking a little vain. Sam just rolled her eyes while Tucker snickered to himself. Leave it to Danny to show off even in the middle of a fight with a rampaging six-legged, saber-tooth tiger.

"Danny! Watch it!" Sam called a warning, which was a little too late. Danny skidded to a stop right in front of them after having been batted away by the tiger's paws, which had very sharp claws. "Well, you know what they say about pride coming before the fall..."

"Yeah yeah," Danny muttered, standing up only to see his cloak had a slight tear on the side, "Hey! Watch the cloak! This was a gift!" Sam just chuckled under her breath as Danny shot back towards the tiger, now madder than he should be. "You wanna fight dirty, alright, let's fight dirty!" Danny called as green ecto-energy started wrapping around his right hand.

"Whoa, when did you learn that?" Tucker asked, looking impressed as Danny had a shaky set of talons wrapped around his right hand. It seemed solid enough yet still looked like it could use improvement.

"New trick," Danny grinned before charging towards the tiger, swiping at it's chest. The tiger just dodged before crouching down and growling. "Probably shouldn't have skipped training last night..." Danny muttered as the talons seemed to fade a little before growing solid again. "Alright kitty, I really wanna go watch the rest of that NASA video, so be a good cat and go to sleep!"

At the end of his command Danny had charged towards the tiger, knocking it back into the wall of the school. Before the beast could get up he dropped his talons and summoned as big a ball of energy as he could before throwing it towards the monster. The blast knocked back the tiger, and destroyed a few windows of the school.

"Okay...probably...wasn't such a good idea," Danny muttered, dropping a few feet in the air before stabilizing his flight. Maybe staying up all night to watch the Curiosity videos hadn't been such a good idea... Ghost fighting on lack of sleep always tended to end badly for him.

"Danny! Catch!" Danny turned around just in time to catch the Fenton Thermos, curtsy of a waving Sam. Grinning Danny turned around and aimed the thermos at the tiger, watching as the blue energy went out and wrapped around the tiger, pulling it in. Right before the tiger was completely sucked in though it looked at Danny, almost seeming to grin before letting out something like a laugh. One that sounded familiar...

"Okay...no more lack of sleep," Danny muttered, capping the thermos and turning around so he could go find a place to change back into, the three were probably late for class already. He still had no idea why the school still had class go on when there was a ghost attack...you think they would let you out even then.

"Danny! Look out!" Snapping to attention at Sam's voice Danny looked down at her to see she and Tucker were freaking out and pointing behind him. Raising an eyebrow Danny shook his head before he turned around, getting ready to face another ghost.

"Freeze spook!" Danny paled at the voice, trying to turn intangible only to find out it was too late. What felt like an explosion hit him in the chest, blasting him straight back into the brick wall of the back of the school.

"Not them," Danny groaned, gasping when he realized that talking was a _very _bad idea when he just got blasted in the chest with one of their new, and painful, ecto-weapons. Coughing and gagging Danny rolled to his knees, covering his mouth with his hand out of habit. When he pulled it away he saw the black material was covered with red-green blood. "Oh that can't be good..."

Gasping for breath and trying to move as little as he could Danny floated into the air. Looking around he saw Sam and Tucker were trying to stall the Fentons as they ran over to where Danny Phantom had landed. "Oh so not good," Danny muttered while trying to turn intangible only to find he couldn't. Feeling the beginnings of a panic attack he did his best to slow his breathing and calm down. Surely it couldn't be as bad as he thought...

"Don't even bother escaping ghost!" Danny groaned at his mom's voice. He sometimes wondered how she would react if she ever found out she had been hunting her son all this time instead of just another ghost... "You're not going anywhere! That weapon was made especially for you!"

"Yeah! It saps all ghost energy!" Jack called out, sounding like he was grinning. Danny just rolled his eyes at that before registering what they had said. They had made a weapon that saps the ghost's energy away. They had just _hit _him with a weapon that saps the ghost's energy away. Without his ghost energy...

"Okay okay, it's not that bad," Danny mumbled, gasping when he felt something in his throat and started to cough. He looked down to see he had just coughed up more blood than would ever be considered normal. "Okay, bad." Feeling his power ebb away he did his best to stay in his ghost form. Without his ghost energy he couldn't stay as Phantom nor could his speed healing work, and he had just had his chest blasted open from a huge gun.

Okay. Now he could have a panic attack.

"Gotta...get away..." Danny almost made it to one of the doors before he felt himself get blasted again from his side, the same one with the shoulder that had gotten torn open a few days ago. Screaming Danny skidded across the grass, red and green blood seeping out from his now multiple wounds. Feeling the last of his energy ebb away Danny did his best to not turn into Fenton, but not even he could do the impossible when he had no energy left.

"Danny?!" Maddie gasped, looking down at her baby boy who was covered in wounds with a strange pair of wings on his back. "Danny?! What happened to you?!" Danny was sure he would have scoffed and said something along the lines of _you shot me _if he had the energy.

"Careful Mads, it might be another ghost trick," Jack called, carefully approaching their fallen son. Danny just groaned while trying to move only to find he couldn't even move his wings, let alone turn intangible and fly away.

"Wait! Mr and Mrs Fenton!" Sam called, her and Tucker running to stand in front of Danny, "It's not what you think! See, there was this accident, with the Ghost Portal-"

"The Ghost Portal?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow while Maddie just looked down at Danny before her eyes suddenly narrowed.

"No, I know exactly what's going on..." the woman muttered, the two teens in front of her looking hopeful. "Danny's been possessed by Phantom! That ghost freak has been overshadowing my poor baby boy and now he's going to die because of it! Well I won't have my son possessed by some ghost! Take this Phantom!" Maddie screamed, pushing the two teens out of the way before pointing the gun at Danny.

"You're not gonna get our son that easily Phantom!" Jack yelled, now shooting along with his wife. Danny somehow managed to drag forth the last of his ghostly energy and form one of his wing shields and was now shivering and hoping _somehow _they would stop.

X

"Hm...something's wrong..." Clockwork muttered, looking up from a book he was reading and heading towards his observatory. Usually when something was wrong he could just look into the future and see what would happen, but with his powers and vision blocked he had to use the mirror for now. "Probably something to do with Daniel," Clockwork snorted, waving his staff as the mirrors cleared and showed Amity Park in the present.

Fine-tuning the mirror he was finally able to see where Danny was and what he saw sent him into shock for a few seconds. Cursing and yelling Clockwork opened one of his portals and dived into it. He was probably going to be using every ounce of control he had so as to not destroy the Fentons where they stood.

X

"Don't worry Danny! We'll save you!" Jack called, blasting some more at the shield. Danny looked up and wanted to bite back that they were actually killing him but found he couldn't even find the strength to groan let alone talk. Squinting a bit he also saw that his vision was going fuzzy and black around the edges.

"**Looks like you don't have long left now, **_**Guardian**_**," **At the sound of the voice Danny froze, looking all around and yet seeing nothing. Considering he was close to crying in pain and bleeding all over the ground he was pretty sure he wasn't dreaming either. **"Heheh...now that you're finished I'll be able to get out in no time..."**

Gritting his teeth together Danny hissed while narrowing his eyes. He had no clue if the voice was real or in his head but he'd be damned before it got the last word in. "Don't count me out just yet," Danny whispered, his voice sounding hoarse and unused, "You can't get rid of me...that easily... Trust me. Others have tried...and failed... Just. Like. _YOU_!" Danny screamed, the shield bursting outwards and knocking everyone back.

Calling forth his transformation rings Danny changed into Phantom before jumping into the air, growling as he fought back against the black that was growing around the edges of his eyes. "I am not...going to let you...have your way!" Danny shouted, blinking his eyes before he saw that he was in a black space with a ghostly presence in front of him.

"**Impossible..." **the voice muttered, the same one that had tormented his dreams and currently wanted him dead. **"You shouldn't even be able to move! Let alone use your powers! You are some half-human brat! How do you-"**

"ENOUGH!" Danny shouted, catching a glimpse of glowing eyes and green chains. Chains that looked weak and broken. "I don't know who you are and I don't care! I will _not _let you win! You wanna take over or something, right?" Danny asked, not even giving the beast a chance to respond. "Well guess what, you won't WIN! EVER!"

"**Just who do you think you are?!" **Danny raised an eyebrow at the question while conjuring forth a reddish ecto-energy disk, adding a swirl of his ice powers in while grinning towards the voice.

"Dude, the name is Danny _Phantom_. Half-ghost teen super-hero, protector of Amity Park, and Guardian of Protection. And as all those things it is my duty, and pleasure, to. Beat. YOU!"

"**IMPOSSIBLE!"**

Danny grinned as the beast howled, sounding enraged and hurt. Watching the black fade away he noticed that one of the chain links he saw was almost broken, which seemed to be a bad thing from what he knew.

"DANNY!" Danny looked up at hearing his name, only to gasp as another shot of the ecto-gun came flying towards him. Cursing he tried to dodge it only to feel the last of his powers finally drain away. The teen's eyes widened as the transformation rings sprung forth, turning him back into Fenton a second before the blast connected. "WOULD YOU STOP SHOOTING AT HIM ALREADY?!"

Looking up from where he had landed on the ground and feeling the blood running down him Danny opened his eyes just enough to see that Sam and Tucker were wrestling with the Fentons over the guns, who were looking confused at the two's behavior. Danny just grinned at that before coughing, feeling his heartbeat getting weaker. "Not...good..." Danny wheezed, struggling to keep his eyes open. Just as another blast headed right for him he closed his eyes, preparing to be hit again.

He was therefore surprised when nothing hit.

Looking up Danny saw a ticked off Guardian of Time standing in front of him, staff coming to a rest after having been twirled expertly to reflect the cannon blast. Grinning Danny looked up to see all four humans looked shocked as the Master of Time stood in front of them, and he looked _pissed_.

"Hey...Clockwork..." He had no clue how the ghost was able to hear him but he was thankful when Clockwork immediately turned around and bent down so he could hear the teen. "Don't hurt them...alright?" Danny smirked, looking up wearily at Clockwork's worried face. At the tight nod he received he grinned, knowing that the ghost wouldn't go back on his promise. He then felt something that made him gasp again. "Oh yeah...one more thing...Clockwork...

"I think I might be dying..."

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^^ Seeya all next time!


	12. Second Chance

***sniff* I'm not...I'm not crying... Gosh darn it! This chapter still makes me cry!**

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So, shortest chapter yet I think...*sniff* Short but I hope you all will enjoy it... *close to breaking down* Oh, I edited all the chapters before this, so make sure to go back **and read the previous chapters **because it's very important. I added some new scenes and the like. So...*breaking down into crying* I'll be curled up in my blankets crying...ENJOY THE SONG AND CHAPTER!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=kdvbD3vyMdA**

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**Chapter 12**

**X**

Jazz Fenton had been having a good time visiting her family over the last few days, and it was always nice to see her little brother again. Especially since he had the tendency to try and do everything on his own. Things had been going surprisingly normal too, well, until Danny had told her that he had just become Guardian of the Ghost Zone or Protection or whatever.

Well, to be truthful it had been a little hard to understand him at first since he was babbling, waving his arms around crazily, and looking close to having a panic attack. She hadn't really understood what he had been talking about until he had shown her the wings. That was when she realized he might be in for some trouble.

"I can't believe this...they always end up doing this!" Jazz muttered viciously under her breath while turning towards the school. As soon as she had seen her parents dart off to the school after some ghost she figured she had better follow them in case Danny needed help. "Can't we just have one day that doesn't have something to do with ghosts?!"

Considering her brother was half-ghost however she knew that would probably never happen.

Shaking her head, and looking generally annoyed, Jazz pulled into the school parking lot. Hearing the blast of a large weapon she sighed while stepping out of her car and locking it behind her. Running around to the edge of the school she skidded around the back only to gasp at what she saw in front of her.

Clockwork, at least it looked like Clockwork, was kneeling in front of Danny and looking worried, angry, and generally pissed off. Behind the two ghosts Jack and Maddie were looking confused while Sam and Tucker were yelling at them and trying to jerk the guns out of their hands.

"What...what have you done..." Jazz cried, running over to stand in front of Clockwork and Danny with her arms outstretched, blocking her parents from firing off any more shots.

"Jasmine, get out of the way. Ghosts are overshadowing your brother and we have to get them out!" Maddie yelled, trying to keep Tucker and Sam out of the way, who were still yelling and screaming.

"Jazz, you may not understand but-"

"ENOUGH!" Jazz screamed, startling everyone human in the vicinity. All of them stopped at what they were doing and looked over at her. "You...are monsters..." Jazz scowled, tears already starting to roll down her face. Call it family intuition, sisterly knowledge, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it she knew that Danny was hurt far worse than he ever had been before. Far, _far_ worse. "Clockwork...get him out of here..."

"Jasmine! What are you doing?!" Maddie yelled, looking startled that her daughter had just told a ghost to take her baby brother away. The two had always been so close. "You don't know-"

"I KNOW MORE THAN YOU!" Jazz screamed, her hands forming fists at her side. She was shaking in rage at this point as she glanced behind her to see that Clockwork was gently picking Danny up before forming a portal. Sparing her a quick look he nodded before disappearing into the portal. "I can't believe you... I never thought you would have done this to him..." Jazz muttered, shaking her head and looking close to breaking down.

"Jasmine, what on earth are you talking about?" Maddie asked, looking as confused as Jack did beside her. Tucker and Sam had stopped fighting them and were now taking up positions on either side of Jazz, who was glaring at the two adults in front of her.

"Danny is half-ghost."

"That's impossible," Maddie muttered after a moment's pause. "There's no way Danny could be half-ghost! He would have to be half-dead, and there's no way the human body would allow that!"

"It's true!" Sam yelled, now close to tackling the Fentons herself, "We were there when it happened! Three years ago when we were all fourteen. Back when you first built the Ghost Portal..."

"Remember how it didn't work?" Jazz asked, her voice now subdued. The two just nodded helplessly, wondering where this was going. "Danny and these two were there that day. Danny was as disappointed as you two that it didn't work. He put on his hazmat suit and went in... Apparently you forgot that there was an on button on the inside as well." At this both adults went still.

"But...if he was in the portal at the same time it went on," Maddie gasped while holding her hands to her mouth. Jack just shook his head, looking even more confused.

"That's impossible. He should have died, millions of volts of electricity going through him...if what you say is true than he shouldn't even be alive!"

"He's not," Jazz muttered, sounding sad. "At least, not fully. He became half-ghost but he also half-died in that portal... For three years he's been defending the town as Danny Phantom..."

"But..but why wouldn't he tell us something like that?!" Maddie cried, dropping her gun and looking close to tears. "We..."

"We're his parents! We love him no matter what, we never would have hurt him!" Jack called, looking as helpless as his wife.

"Yet you just shot at him," Jazz accused, her eyes darkening. "You have hurt him. So many times..." Jazz muttered, shaking in rage again. Sam and Tucker just looked at the ground. They didn't say anything. They knew it wasn't their place to speak. "Yet he never blamed you or hated you... He never wanted to hurt you...him and that damn hero-complex of his..."

"But..."

"DONT YOU GET IT?!" Jazz screamed, more tears coming to her eyes. "YOU JUST NOW MIGHT HAVE _KILLED_ HIM! HE WASN'T BEING OVERSHADOWED! Don't you...don't you get it?! Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom...they are one in the _same_... And you may have just destroyed both..."

X

"Clockwork..." Danny muttered, his eyes just barely open. He felt Clockwork hug him even tighter as the elder ghost sat down in a chair, the same one in his temporary bedroom. "Clockwork...I'm dying...aren't I?" After what felt like eons of silence the ghost finally answered.

"Yes Daniel...you are dying..."

"Somehow I didn't think my death would involve me curled up in the Guardian of Time's arms," Danny slightly chuckled, looking much smaller than the seventeen-year-old he was. Not even hearing a sigh at his humor Danny frowned, looking up at the ghost. "Hey...you aren't supposed to be all torn up over this..."

"Forgive me if I find it difficult to face the fact that my son is dying in my arms," Clockwork snorted, sounding close to tears himself. Danny just sniffled before clutching Clockwork's shirt and snuggling into his chest, seeking comfort as he finally broke down into tears.

"Clockwork...I...I don't wanna die..." Danny gasped out, trying to hold back the coughs that were wanting to come up. Clockwork just clutched the boy closer while burying his face in the teen's hair. "What...what even happens..."

"Danny Fenton will die," Clockwork sighed, blinking back his tears. He couldn't break down right now. He had a job as a parent to comfort his child. "Danny Phantom however will reform in the Ghost Zone, a full ghost."

"So I'll finally...fit in...huh..." Danny sniffled, trying to hold back his tears. "Sucks...that I had to die...to do it..." Everyone thought that when it came time for him to die he would be accepting and unafraid. He thought they were idiots for that reason alone. He had already faced death once when he got his powers...

He didn't want to face it again.

"Clockwork...I don't..."

"I know, Daniel..." the ghost sighed while trying to figure out how to best word what needed to be said. "I know that you fear dying. It's only natural though when really it shouldn't be... Death is a natural part of the universe, it's what keeps things in balance. Everyone dies at some point Daniel..."

"Yeah, but at seventeen?" Danny asked, sounding weaker and weaker. "I know life is pretty...unfair...but that's just... I knew I was never gonna get to be an astronaut or anything...but...not even living to be an adult? That's..."

"You have a great future ahead of you Daniel...but you know as well as I that you wouldn't have been able to get to it while you were still living..." Danny sniffled, trying not to break out into full-on hysterics.

"I knew..." Danny muttered, sounding close to just giving up, "I knew that...I would have to die one day... You can't stay in both worlds forever...I just...I thought I would get...a little longer...to be a kid..." Clockwork sighed, not sure what to say to reassure the boy. He knew that not even he could completely reassure Danny as he was now.

"I knew you would die one day...but not even I could have seen you dying like this...and this young..." the ghost looked far older than he ever did now. Danny felt his breathing get shallower, knowing what was going to happen soon. Surprisingly he didn't even feel the pain any more. Too numb he supposed.

"How exactly...am I dying...like...the cause...of death..." Danny panted, struggling to get the words out now. Clockwork looked down at him surprised before slightly smiling, the tears almost coming back.

"Burning to the internal organs. One of your lungs has completely collapsed while the other one has been pierced by your ribs. Your stomach and heart have also been burned severely."

"Wow...and I'm...still alive..." Danny gasped, slightly smirking. He just grinned even wider at hearing Clockwork's weak chuckle. "Hey...Clockwork...how are sure...I'll reform?" Danny asked, sounding even weaker. Clockwork was silent for a few seconds before readjusting the boy and taking off one of the watches on his left wrist. "What...what are you..."

"This watch will never die and will always tell you the right time. When you are lost you merely think about the Clock Tower and it will point the way," Clockwork explained before placing a hand on Danny's left wrist and sending a small burst of ecto-energy through it, just enough to force the transformation of Phantom around the hand.

Danny watched as Clockwork quickly tied the watch around Phantom's wrist, letting go and watching the black hazmat material fade away along with the watch. "As long as you have that watch you will always find your way back," Clockwork grinned, a few tears finally coming to his eyes. Danny looked in surprise at his wrist before grinning and snuggling back into Clockwork.

"Hey Clockwork..." Danny muttered, his breathing almost stopping at one point, "I still think...I could...have won...if Andrew hadn't...distracted me..." At this Clockwork buried his head into Danny's hair, trying to hide the tears that were streaming down his face. Even if he knew for sure the Danny would come back as a ghost it still hurt to see his son die in his arms.

X

"**Ahaha...I win... DO YOU HEAR GUARDIANS?! YOUR LAST HOPE HAS JUST DIED! **_**I WIN**_**!"**

X

It is a proven fact that even when the most important person in your life dies the world still keeps turning and moving around the sun. Nothing changes even if it may feel like your whole world is ending and breaking. And that's exactly what happened.

The world never stopped spinning on it's axis while Amity Park still went about it's daily routine. No one seemed to really notice, or care, the second that yet another light faded from the world.

Daniel James Fenton...was dead...


	13. Never Too Late

**...Not much to say... Changed the song link because the last one led to a rick-roll. If you fell for it... HA! If not, well then...gratz for having some smartz on you. XD Oh god...I've been playing WoW too much..**

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Let me just say, that your reviews have greatly amused me and Que. Just...*snort* Just so much. it is also because of them that I am updating so quickly, in fear for my very life. So. This is Guardian chapter lucky number 13! Enj- Oh yeah, the song! Here's the song for this chapter!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=lL2ZwXj1tXM**

Okay, now you can enjoy! Those of you who get the Torchwood ref by the way? I call you Whovians...I am a Whovian-in-the-making. Que converted me...*trying to resist Doctor Who marathon*

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**Chapter 13**

**X**

"I can't believe it..." Tucker muttered while sitting on top of one of the cleaner lab tables with his PDA sitting beside him, turned off. He, Sam, and Jazz had gone straight back to the Fenton Works lab after explaining as much as they could to the two elder Fentons. "I just... Danny's not supposed to get hurt, or at least this bad, you know? He's the superhero..."

"Yeah...maybe that's why the superheros always get hurt," Jazz muttered while fingering a charm bracelet Danny had gotten her for her birthday one year. "Because we don't realize just how much pressure they're put under...until it's too late..."

"I hate this..." Sam muttered, running her hands through her now messy hair and pacing back and forth around the lab. "Can't we...can't we _do _something?!"

"Like what," Tucker muttered, frowning while staring down at the tiled floor. "Clockwork took Danny into the Ghost Zone...if Danny has any chance then it's in there..."

"Guys..." Jazz muttered, drawing both teen's attention. "Just how badly was Danny hurt..."

"He..." Sam trailed off, unsure of how to continue. After sharing a look with Tucker she decided on the truth. If anyone had the right to know just what had happened it was Jazz. "He was shot three times. The first one caught him off guard and hit him in the stomach."

"The second one tore up his shoulder, right where the Guys in White hit him last time," Tucker chimed in, reaching for his PDA before sighing and flicking it aside. Jazz nodded, her face growing more and more expressionless.

"And the third?" Jazz asked, a part of her not really wanting to know.

"He was shot in the chest the third time," Tucker muttered, trailing off while looking towards Sam who sighed deeply while looking Jazz in the eye.

"A split second after he changed back into Fenton."

"So his human half got the full blast..." Jazz muttered, rubbing her arms while staring at the floor. Upstairs they could hear the faint yelling back-and-forth between Jack and Maddie, who were still trying to understand what they had just been told. Eventually they quieted down, heading upstairs. For a few seconds all that could be heard was the teens' breathing and the quiet hum of the lab.

"Come on," Jazz commanded, getting up and heading towards the Specter Speeder. Sam and Tucker shared a look before following, looking hesitant.

"Jazz...what are you-"

"I'm going to go and find Danny," Jazz replied, not even giving the girl time to finish her question. The two teens looked surprised before jumping into the back of the Speeder, Jazz grabbing a random weapon and the Fenton Thermos before opening the portal. "If Danny's hurt than I'm going to find him. If he needs help, I'll help him. If he needs rest, I'll leave him alone. But one way or another I am finding him," Jazz gritted her teeth while hopping behind the wheel of the speeder and powering it up.

"And not even the Master of Time is going to stand in my way!"

X

"Jazz...we've been driving for hours..." Sam muttered, Tucker sitting cross-legged beside her while staring lifelessly at his PDA. "Shouldn't we have seen _something _by now?"

"We keep driving until we find- Is that the sound of a motorcycle?" Jazz asked, sounding confused while turning around in her seat. Seeing that indeed a motorcycle was driving beside them she looked over to see Johnny and Kitty waving, looking interested as to why they were there.

"Oh, pull over Jazz!" Sam grinned before pointing towards a rock up ahead of them as Johnny flashed a thumbs up before driving ahead. "Maybe they know where we can find Danny!"

"You sure? Last I remember those two were troublemakers," Jazz muttered, pulling up to the rock anyways. She still felt a little sore towards Johnny for trying to take over her body for Kitty, even if a part of her had found it sweet he would go that far for the girl he loved.

"Yeah, it's a mutual thing," Tucker slightly grinned as the Speeder slowed to a stop, the top pulling back as Johnny and Kitty rolled up beside them.

"What are you all doing here? And not with Phantom?" Johnny asked, looking confused since he thought those four could hardly be separated. Kitty was practically bouncing in her seat before she spat out her question.

"Is it true?! Is Danny really the new Guardian?!" Kitty asked, looking excited and worried all at once. Sam nodded before Kitty squealed. "I knew it! He always did seem the Guardian type." At this Johnny rolled his eyes although he stayed quiet since he didn't really want to speak out against his girlfriend.

"So what are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for Danny," Jazz responded, her eyes slightly narrowing, "Have you guys seen him or heard any news?" Both ghosts shook their heads while looking confused. "Don't suppose you know where Clockwork is either, do you?"

"Clockwork? Master of Time, Clockwork?" Kitty asked, sounding amazed. Jazz just sighed, knowing from that answer alone that they wouldn't know.

"Why? Something wrong with the kid?" Johnny asked, sounding concerned. He and Phantom had started getting along around a year back, Danny letting them come into the human world, no hassle, as long as they kept him up-to-date on Ghost Zone related news.

"He kinda got shot-"

"He's hurt," Jazz interrupted, cutting Tucker off, who looked confused. "Clockwork took him away to treat his wounds and now we're trying to find him, so, any clue?" At the negative answers she received she sighed while looking back out towards the rest of the Ghost Zone, looking weary. "Well, thanks. Guess we have to keep looking..."

"Good luck," Kitty called out as the Speeder's top closed and the vehicle zoomed off. She and Johnny sat on the bike for a few more seconds before Johnny started it back up, heading towards the human world like they had been planning. "I hope Danny is okay..."

"That kid will be fine," Johnny smirked, speeding around the rocks and other floating debris of the Ghost Zone. Kitty just raised her eyebrows, looking unimpressed at the answer. Johnny must have sensed the look before he chuckled, taking a second to glance back at Kitty with a grin. "He's too stubborn not to be. Leave his sister and friends to face ghosts on their own? He wouldn't be able too."

Kitty chuckled along with her boyfriend while hugging him from behind, grinning for a few more seconds before sighing. "Still...it'd be pretty bad if we lost our new Guardian after just getting him..."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that sister of his will find him and make sure he's okay," Johnny called back, swerving around Skulker's lair. He would rather not deal with another of Kitty and Ember's girl talks, which mainly involved dissing their boyfriends. Behind him Kitty snorted.

"Especially since the girl acts like Danny is more her son than her brother," Kitty chuckled, Johnny laughing with her. "Still, I wonder how he got so hurt...that geek boy said something about him getting shot..."

"Whatever happened it's not really any of our business..." Johnny trailed off, Kitty snorting in amusement as they make a quick left turn.

"Yeah, but when has that ever stopped us from spreading gossip before?" Johnny let out a chuckle while leaning into Kitty's hug, slightly grinning. Even if he did flirt around a lot his heart would always be with Kitty.

"True, but I figure Phantom deserves at least a tiny bit of our respect," Johnny muttered, scratching his cheek with one hand. He tensed up as he felt Kitty's devious grin from behind him. That grin never meant good things for him.

"Oh...this is the first time you've refused to spread gossip out of respect for someone...do you have a little boy crush now?"

"Kitty!"

X

"Hey, Jazz..." Sam muttered, still looking at the place where the Clock Tower was supposed to be, which they had passed for the hundredth time. "Danny once told me something...he said that there were a few times where Clockwork didn't want Danny to find him so he hid the place."

"Your point?" Tucker asked, looking up from the map they had made of the Ghost Zone.

"My _point _is that maybe Clockwork doesn't want us to find Danny right now..." The words that went unsaid seemed to hang in the air and carry a weight of their own.

"So I'm supposed to just go home and wait while my little brother is dying?!" Jazz almost screamed, the day's events finally catching up with her. Tucker and Sam frowned before the latter placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Not permanently Jazz...we'll come back and search in a few hours. None of us want to give up on Danny...but searching here with no clue where to go won't help anyone." Jazz sighed deeply before nodding, turning the Speeder around and programming in the directions for the Fenton Portal.

"Hey, isn't that the Ghostwriter?" Tucker asked, pointing out one of the windows. The two girls looked out to see that the ghost bookworm was indeed in front of them, pacing back-and-forth in the air nervously and looking confused as he stared at the air in front of him. Right where the Clock Tower was supposed to be.

"The Ghostwriter...Andrew..." Jazz muttered under her breath, canceling the directions for home and pulling up beside him. If Danny trusted the ghost then so could she. "Hey...Hey! Andrew!"

Andrew, at hearing his real name, looked over to see that Danny's sister and friends was sitting in the Specter Speeder, waving him over. Flying over he frowned while wondering just how many people knew his real name by now.

"Hey, Andrew, have you seen Danny?!" Jazz immediately asked, looking close to jumping out of the Speeder and shaking him by his scarf. All three must have noticed her anxiety because they all backed up slightly.

"No...I was looking for the Tower myself but I haven't been able to find it..." Andrew trailed off, looking worried as he answered. He also made sure to just stay out of Jazz's reach. He knew just how protective that girl could be when it came to her little brother.

"Danny's hurt and he might be dying! Are you sure you haven't seen him?!" Sam half-yelled, looking as frantic as Jazz by this point. Tucker seemed to notice his friend's sudden anxiety since he was close to just jumping from rock to rock to get home instead of dealing with crying, panicking females.

"No, I told you. I haven't seen Danny or the-" Andrew suddenly cut himself off, the girl's words finally sinking in. The trio watched him open his mouth before closing it again. "DYING?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S DYING?!" Jazz nodded in slight confirmation at the proof that theory number three had been proven correctly.

"Well, there was an accident," Tucker said, trailing off since he wasn't sure just how much to tell the ghost. Sam seemed to have the same problem since she wasn't sure what to say either. Jazz on the other hand had no problem telling him the specifics.

"He ended up fighting a ghost at school. Mom and Dad came and shot him three times. Once when he was human. They weren't normal ecto-guns either," Jazz grimaced, looking sick at the thought of what had happened to her brother. "They were designed to rip through a ghost's skin and outside layers and burn the insides to ash basically..."

"Uh Jazz...maybe you shouldn't be so specific..." Sam muttered, pointing out both boys. Tucker was leaning out the side of the Speeder and looking like he was about to be sick while Andrew looked as if his mind had just cracked in two.

"Oh, uh, yeah...maybe that wasn't such a good idea..." Jazz muttered, waving a hand in front of Andrew's eyes, who was still out of it. "Uh...is he...okay?"

"He'll be fine," Sam waved a hand offhandedly while pointing towards Tucker. "Him on the other hand I'm not so sure. I just know that if he barfs in here he's walking home."

X

A full day had passed since the death and passing of Daniel James Fenton. In that time Clockwork, Guardian of Time, had not left his observatory. He had been standing perfectly still in front of his mirrors the second he got back from returning Daniel's body to the mortal world. He had been watching and waiting.

Waiting for a new lair to form.

He had seen Danny's sister and friends come into the Ghost Zone, looking for him and Danny, but he had blocked off the Tower to all. What could he even say to them? Sorry, Danny just died in my arms but don't worry, he'll come back as a ghost. Yeah, he was sure that would go over _real _well. The best thing to do would be to wait until they could see Danny _Phantom _themselves.

Sighing and breaking the silence Clockwork looked as if he was about to collapse, the only thing holding him up his staff. Even if he was the Master of Time, and had guarded the time-line for centuries...holding his son in his arms as he died... That...that was probably the hardest thing he had ever, or would ever, do.

Looking at the mirrors, and about to give up on the lair forming today, Clockwork noticed something on the biggest mirror. The same mirror that Danny had knocked over when they had been running all around the Tower. Something...was there that hadn't been before.

Clockwork waved a hand, bringing the image up to fit all screens before narrowing his eyes. Whatever was happening in that space it was the exact halfway point between the Clock Tower and Andrew's Library. Almost grinning from that knowledge alone Clockwork chuckled, finally realizing what was going a on.

A new lair was forming.

X

Andrew sighed roughly, running a hand through his hair yet again. He had expected another normal ghost/guardian history lesson with Danny today, not learning that the boy was dying! Talk about a crazy day...

"Come on...something should have happened by now..." Andrew muttered, stopping for a rest. He had been flying back and forth between his library and the Tower since this morning, hoping for _something _to happen. Why he kept pausing in-between the two lairs he had no idea. He just had a feeling that something was going to happen there.

Looking around and seeing nothing he sighed before getting up, ready to try and find the Clock Tower again. He was therefore surprised when the second he moved away the air started _shimmering. _Getting closer Andrew suddenly stopped, a gentle feeling on the edge of the mind almost seeming to ask him to please back up a bit.

"O...kay...that's..." Andrew trailed off, not quite sure how to finish that sentence. Sure he was used to communicating telepathically with his own lair but a ghost's forming lair, for that was what it was he realized, asking him to please back up? That was just a whole new level of weird. "Um, I'm backing up now... This good?"

Andrew felt another brush of that strange feeling, as if it was saying thank you this time. The ghost just shook his head while crossing his arms and waiting to see what happened next. It wasn't everyday he got to see a new lair form. After a few minutes, and a blinding flash of white light that caused Andrew to cover his eyes, he looked back to see that a new lair had indeed formed.

A black and green gleaming base was now sitting atop a large floating rock. Andrew nodded his consent at the lair, it looked like something from one of his science fiction books. A futuristic space base or something similar...it actually seemed really familiar... Just who did that base remind him of...

"Danny..." Andrew whispered, his smile growing wider as he rushed towards the base. Now he knew. That base reminded him of Danny and his love of space and NASA and the like. And since a base usually formed the resident's ideal place of living that meant...

Danny was now a Ghost Zone resident.

X

"Ngh, why do I always end up waking up in the dark..." Danny muttered, trying to blink his eyes and clear his vision. He almost hit himself when he realized that the reason he was in the dark was because his eyes were closed. He would open them...but he was so tired...

"_You finally awake there, ghost boy?" _Sighing at the voice, which he seemed to be hearing too much of lately, Danny just nodded, realizing that his head was actually resting in someone's lap. He tried to open his eyes seriously this time but he just couldn't.

"Um...what happened? The last thing I remember I was watching videos with Tuck about the Mars Rover landing..."

"_Oh wow...you're missing a few memories there Phantom...although not too many. Maybe it's because you're Guardian. Most ghosts forget months of their memories before they finally remember them again." _Danny just frowned, not really seeing where this was going and also wondering why he had a strange feeling at the back of his head. As if he should know something important right now.

"Oh god...don't tell me I fainted again! If I did it in school then Dash will never let me live that down!" Danny grumbled, still fighting a losing battle with trying to open his eyes. He felt a soft hand run through his hair before he instantly relaxed.

"_Uh, you...fainted...in a sense..." _Danny could tell the girl was trying to both smother her laughter and be sympathetic at the same time, which wasn't such a strange combination when it came to Danny. _"See, the thing is that, okay, how do I explain this without sending you into a panic attack..." _the girl trailed off, actually thinking about it.

Danny just heaved a sigh, half-thinking about getting up. Why is it he always befriended the crazy and headstrong girls? That just...wasn't fair. A flash of the Clock Tower entered his mind, clutching Clockwork's shirt and crying. Groaning Danny tried to rub his head, not happy with the headache that had come with the strange vision flash thing.

"_Oh come on Phantom, you're Clockwork's son. You're not allowed to forget moments in history that easily." _Danny had a feeling that if his eyes were open he would see the girl grinning. He also had a strange niggle at the back of his mind. Clockwork's son...yes...he supposed he was, Phantom was at least. But...Fenton was Jack and Maddie's son... Why did that sound so wrong? _"You're fighting Phantom. I know you love to fight and all but try letting it flow for once...that's not just a lesson for accessing your powers. It's a lesson for everything."_

"Don't fight it...let it flow..." Danny murmured, feeling as if he was close to going to sleep again. He didn't want to deal with all of this, he was still so _tired_. A moderate slap against his cheek kept him from completely going to sleep however.

"_Hey. You aren't allowed to go to sleep yet Phantom. Not here and not yet. Now, think. What do you remember after watching those stupid videos?" _Danny frowned, trying to rub the cheek that had been slapped only to notice that he couldn't move either.

"I...why can't I move?" This time the slap was to his head. "Hey! Stop hitting me!"

"_You're fighting! Not flowing!" _the girl grumbled, sounding far more annoyed than she should be. Danny grumbled under his breath while sighing, trying to let his mind _flow_. He swear he almost snorted from the pure sarcasm that was radiating from his mind. He was sure if that girl could read his thoughts he would be hit in the head-

"Hey! What was that for?! I didn't even say anything!" Danny yelled, really wanting to rub the back of his, now sore, head.

"_This is gonna take some work..." _the girl sighed, sounding weary, _"Why do I have to deal with the teenage Guardians... Just...why couldn't that wind bag Umbra handle this, oh, that's right! Mr I'm-not-allowed-to-talk-to-potentials... Next time I see that jerk I'm gonna..." _At this point Danny tuned the girl out, realizing she was venting more than helping him now.

Trying his best to let his mind _flow _he realized he felt a small strap around his left wrist, which was strange because his gloves were just part of the hazmat suit not actual gloves. This felt like a bracelet or something. Frowning Danny tried to move to see what it was only to find out he was still being kept from moving by something.

"I don't even wear bracelets..." Danny muttered under his breath, the girl above him still ranting about pompous windbag Guardians who need to do their own work. "I hardly even wear watches-" Danny bit his cheek to keep from letting out a scream at the sudden pain that wracked his body. It felt like he had just gotten shot three separate times, by something that _burned... _"What...the hell..."

"_You're not flowing," _the voice above him almost sang, Danny almost groaning in annoyance. If he heard that flow-not-fight phrase ONE MORE TIME he was pretty sure he was gonna lose it, multiple wounds in his chest or not. _"Hey hey, don't go getting mad at me. I'm not allowed to help you out here. If I do you might fade- Oops..."_

"Fade? Why would I fade?" Danny asked, starting to edge towards a panic attack. He could have sworn she heard the girl hit her own head at her slip of the tongue. "You're not really much help mysterious little voice..."

"_I AM NOT LITTLE!" _Danny cringed in both pain and a little fear at the sudden screaming, right by his ear. A light cough and the girl was back to her usual voice level. _"Like I was saying, I _can't _help much...just kind of hint you towards the right direction... Jeez...why couldn't Clockwork handle this...he would be better at giving nudges to you than me... Your mind was probably warped from video games at a young age..."_

Danny was about to yell back about the video game comment before another flash went through his mind at the word Clockwork. The Tower...him crying and bleeding... Clockwork, burying his head in his hair. The watch...where did he even get that watch... _Forgive me if I find it difficult to face the fact that my son is dying in my arms._

"Hey...voice..." Danny muttered, sounding weary before sighing deeply. "I died, didn't I?"

"_Not exactly flowing, but I guess it's as close as we're gonna get," _the voice muttered, sounding as if she was grinning. Danny shook his head, finding that he actually _could _shake his head. _"Yes. You died. Do you want to know the cause of death? Or would you rather wait till-"_

"No need. My memories came back as soon as you mentioned Clockwork," Danny muttered bitterly, feeling as if he might rather fade away. "My parents shot me...they killed me, huh?"

"_As much as I love to tease and poke fun at potentials...not even I have the heart to tease you right now..." _the girl muttered, sounding down. Danny sighed, really wanting to just go back to sleep right now. _"Sorry I couldn't save you Phantom. I..." _at this the girl sighed roughly, sounding far older than her voice led one to believe. _"He's getting stronger...more powerful... Not even I could stop that monster tiger of his what with how little power I have right now..."_

"So I'm dead..." Danny muttered before feeling a slap to his head again, "Would you stop hitting me already?!" Although, the hit hadn't really felt serious, more like how Jazz hit him when he was having a pity party locked away in his room. Let it be said that nothing stopped Jazz from helping her brother. Not even a locked door.

That ecto-gun had been a bad birthday gift on his part.

"_Then stop moping and pitying yourself! You're Amity Park's Danny Phantom, right? So you became full ghost, you're still _you_." _At this Danny paused, feeling that he could move a little more now.

"So...I'm not...not different...?" At the question the girl snorted.

"_Different? You're _dead! _Of course you're different! But...you are still you. You're still the town hero Danny Phantom. You're still the Danny who had friends and family and people who care for him. Phantom, Fenton...there was never really a difference deep down, was there?"_

"Not really..." Danny grinned, remembering when they had first picked the name Phantom. At times it felt like he could be two different people but at the end of the day...it was just him. Just Danny, trying to take care of his friends, family, and town. Trying to help them as much as they could. "It was always me, the whole time."

"_Good answer," _the girl chuckled, sounding happier than she had since she had first started talking to the teen. _"Now...I think it's about time to wake up... I'm sure you're driving those two boys out there crazy with worry."_

"Out there, wait, who are you?!" Danny called, feeling himself fading from the dream. He finally managed to wrench his eyes open only to see a glimpse of a girl's face, yellow cat-like eyes grinning back at him.

"_Me? I'm..."_

X

"Ah, nice to see you here as well Andrew." The book ghost started, almost having a panic attack at the sudden voice of the Guardian of Time behind him. He supposed he should have known Clockwork would have been there the second the new lair formed but did he have to sneak up on him like that?

"Honestly Clockwork...you enjoy scaring others, don't you?" Andrew raised an eyebrow, Clockwork merely grinning as the two flew down to the base, which was about as large as the Clock Tower. A long spire went from the middle straight up ending with a large observatory-like deck on top.

"I suppose at times I do, yes," the ghost responded, Andrew shaking his head in amusing before remembering something.

"Oh yeah, Jazz and the other kids stopped by, apparently they were looking for the Tower like I was... I'm guessing you locked us out _because _of Danny's death, right?"

"Correct." At the answer Andrew noticed that Clockwork looked a little stony, not that he could blame the ghost. He had learned of how Phantom was Clockwork's son, and watching the kid die right in front of you? He would be a nervous wreck if it was him. "So, I don't suppose you know how to enter, do you?" At this both of them felt a brush of the same feeling that had hit Andrew before. It seemed mischievous and amused.

"Well, judging by how this one thinks we're gonna have a time getting in then I'm guessing that this is definitely Danny's lair..." Andrew muttered, Clockwork looking half-amused and half-confused.

"Strange..."

"What?" Andrew asked, looking over to see that Clockwork was by now grinning.

"Lairs don't usually talk to anyone outside of their owner... Leave it to Daniel to have a lair that breaks those rules." At this Andrew chuckled, knowing that things like that tended to happen to Danny. Nothing normal indeed.

"So...how do we get in..." Andrew muttered while looking at the sliding front door that had no handles or buttons on it. It certainly looked like something you would find in a sci-fy novel...so that meant... "Honestly Phantom...you've been reading way too much Science Fiction..." Andrew snorted, placing his hand on a flat white square next to the door.

Clockwork watched as a green scanner activated, scanning the ghost's hand print before beeping in recognition, a slight welcoming ring echoing from it as the doors hissed open, in a very sci-fy manner. The two ghosts exchanged a surprised look, not expecting it to have been that easy to get in. Most, if not all, lairs had some type of defense against unwanted ghosts.

The lair itself seemed to grin and laugh as they walked in.

"Why that little...made us worry that it would be hard to get in and then made it so easy..." Andrew muttered under his breath, Clockwork chuckling beside him as they walked down the small set of steps to a large circular-like room. A sunken area in the middle of the room was filled with computer monitors and other high-tech equipment while pushed against the walls was more technology, along with the occasional couch.

"Wow...looks like Torchwood..." Andrew muttered, Clockwork just quirking an eyebrow at the ghost before shaking his head. Those two watched too many sci-fy shows. "Hm...I wonder..." Andrew muttered, walking down to the middle of the sunken area before looking up, grinning. "Hey Clockwork, found the way to the top."

Clockwork flew over, looking up before snorting and shaking his head. "You two are definitely Whovians..." the ghost muttered, Andrew flushing before muttering under his breath as the lair brushed against their minds again, urging them to fly upwards. Sharing a look they shrugged before doing as they were told and flying straight up.

"Wow..." Andrew muttered, looking around to see that they had reached the glass observatory they had seen from the outside. Large slanted windows filled the whole room, leaving only a sliver of wall to be seen. "I admit...I'm impressed..." the ghost muttered, Clockwork chuckling while shaking his head. Looking around the Guardian of Time spotted a purple-blue piece of fabric in the corner. Seeing what it was he grinned.

"Andrew..." Clockwork muttered, pointing towards the corner once he had gotten the ghost's attention. Andrew grinned before shaking his head, seeing that Danny Phantom was curled up in his old cloak, sound asleep and looking peaceful. Seeing a small watch on the boy's left wrist he looked over to Clockwork to see the ghost was grinning, one of his six watches missing.

Snorting and muttering about paranoid parents Andrew leaned against one of the windows before plopping down, waiting for Danny to wake up after he fully formed with his only company in the form of a mischievous new lair and a worried Guardian of Time.

X

There are times where a light will fade to the world, moving on to the next life and to never to bee seen again. However...there are also times where that light is still needed by the people it left behind. Where it has a job it still needs to complete. If this is the case then the light remains, in whatever way possible, to complete it's task, as was the case with one person.

Daniel James Fenton had died and faded from this world. But one day and six hours later his light came back, still needed by it's people. At precisely midnight after one day of being dead Daniel James Fenton came back...

As Danny Phantom. Guardian of Protection.

* * *

So...you won't kill us now, right? Heh...okaybyenow! *dust cloud*


	14. Make It Stop

**This one still makes me laugh. XD It's so funny. **

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Okay, new chapter and it's a little short...DON'T KILL ME! FIRST IT WAS WORLD OF WARCRAFT THEN POKEMON THEN BACK TO WOW! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! *cough* Anyways... A few of you were worried that Danny would change upon becoming full ghost, but I never though he would. Let's look at this way. Remember the episode Idenity Crisis? Where Danny was split into Fenton and Phantom?

A lot of people thought it was too show that they were two different people, I don't think so however. I think Butch wanted to show us that even though Danny can feel like he's separate people at the end of the day it's just him protecting who he loves...

So, uh, yeah. Next chapter will be up soon-ish... *hides in bomb bunker* Song for this chapter!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v = koBk0sEZAPo**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**X**

"I think he's finally starting to wake up..."

"This soon? He should have at least taken another few hours to fully form..."

"Okay... I know this is going to sound like a very stupid question, considering who you are and all, but do you have the time?"

Danny resisted the urge to groan as he tried to roll over on his back, finding that he couldn't quite get the orders to his limbs. He was stuck. Again. He was really starting to get sick and tired of waking up in the dark without being able to move or talk.

Sighing internally the teen instead concentrated on trying to figure out where he was and just why those voices he had just heard sounded so familiar to him. He could actually _feel _the dry, unamused look that one of them had on though...it was that powerful.

"It's precisely midnight." Now _that _tone of voice he definitely knew. It was the one that seemed to tease yet help him all at the same time, which didn't make much sense when he though about it. Danny grinned, having one voice pinpointed, before trying to figure out who was left that was talking. Surely that voice couldn't have reminded him of that many people? Although...for some reason he couldn't really grasp anyone's name... Just blanks.

"Okay okay, I get it. It was a stupid question. Pardon us poor, normal ghosts for not being the Guardian and Protector of Time itself." That voice sounded so familiar...he did hear the first voice, Clockwork he finally realized, snort in amusement though.

"No excuse for not carrying a watch," the ghost muttered, Danny swearing he could _hear _the grin. Angry muttering was the only response he could hear from the other entity. He could pinpoint a few foreign words, that sounded something like Latin. Angry Latin. "Cursing me out won't help very much either."

"Not in the long run, no. But it does help me relieve stress and feel better," the voice slightly chuckled, Danny feeling the amusement from his tone. A few more seconds of silence and Danny heard a rough and tired-sounding sigh. "Shouldn't he be moving now? I mean...it looked, and felt, like he was waking up..."

"It could be where he's still forming," Danny heard Clockwork mutter, sounding curious and worried about the matter at the same time. "Normally ghosts take as long as weeks to form, you know that."

"True, but that time can be greatly reduced when it comes to Guardians," the voice spoke up, Danny getting a flash of a scarf and glasses. And poetry...

"Oh? And how do you know that when the last Guardian formed _long _before your time?" Clockwork asked, slightly scoffing. Danny was still trying to move, wondering just what the hell they were talking about. Although the word Guardian did sound really familiar.

"Books are your friends," the voice replied, Danny feeling the urge to snort in amusement if he could actually speak. Another flash of what looked like a person this time. Only...they had a paler skin tone than any human Danny knew. Human...it didn't quite fit those two voices that were still talking.

"Indeed," Clockwork snorted, the image of an amused person in a long purple cloak popping into his head. Clockwork, Clockwork, Clockwork...why did that name sound so familiar...he knew that person, right? "Did you see that?"

"What?"

"It looked like he...faded..." Clockwork muttered softly, Danny hearing the worry in the tone, although it sounded far away and disconnected. Like he was hearing it through glass.

"What? There's no way he could fade though...he's almost done forming..." the voice muttered, sounding close to panicking. Danny felt like he should apologize to the voice, although he wasn't sure why or what for. He wondered if those two would worry if he went back to sleep...

"_Dammit! Didn't I tell you to flow?! Jesus Christ you are the most stubborn potential I have ever met and probably _will _ever meet! Can't you just...I mean... GOD DAMMIT FLOW! STOP FADING!"_

Flow...the two worried voices became a little clear as he thought about that. Hadn't he heard that phrase before? From the same strange voice? They had been discussing two boys named Phantom and Fenton... Something about them. Danny knew they were connected by something, he just couldn't remember what.

"Wake...up?"

"...wouldn't be...idea..." Even with the voices being clear it was still hard to make out what they were saying. Something about waking him up, although he really wasn't asleep. Instead of listening to the two arguing voices Danny went right back to trying to think of the connection between Phantom and Fenton. He knew it was something, something he had heard a thousand times.

"...ghosts..."

Trying not to yelp in pain Danny almost groaned at the sudden onslaught of memories that assaulted him. Two boys. Fenton and Phantom. Different yet similar. No...not different. The same. Danny swore he almost hit his own head against the floor when he suddenly realized why the two names had sounded so familiar to him.

"I really hate losing my memories..." Danny muttered under his breath, barely audible. The two ghosts above him however seemed to notice some change in him since they started talking again, this time Danny hearing them without any problem.

"Is he awake? It seems like he's awake, I mean, the lair formed alright and everything..." A brush of amusement at the back of his mind slightly startled the teen, causing him to flinch. He really hated weird feelings in his head, it just made him think he was being mind controlled. Again.

"I suppose...he at least looks somewhat awake..." Clockwork muttered, Danny noticing he still sounded worried. He almost snorted at that. It seemed the Master of Time became worried a lot these days.

"Suppose? Aren't you supposed to be sure of everything?!" Danny frowned again, knowing he had heard that panicking yet caring voice _somewhere_. A brush of amusement at the back of his mind slightly startled him, although he calmed down just a bit when he realized it _wasn't _trying to control his mind. A quick image of Andrew kneeling beside him went through his head.

"Oh...so it's you two she was talking about..." Danny muttered, feeling the gazes of both ghosts on him as he rubbed his head and blinked his eyes open. Looking up he saw Andrew was kneeling on the floor beside him while Clockwork was standing over him, looking both worried and slightly anxious.

"You think he remembers us?" Andrew asked, looking up at Clockwork. "Some ghosts don't remember anything when they first form..."

"You could try asking said ghost yourself, Andrew," Danny muttered, slightly grinning at the ghost's astonished look that quickly turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.

"Heh, sorry, Danny." Mentally grinning at the fact that the ghost had called him by his first name instead of his ghostly one he looked up at Clockwork, who was grinning down at him.

"So...what is that weird feeling in my head that seems like a voice?" Whatever Danny had been expecting it was not seeing the Guardian of Time bent over trying to contain his laughter. "Right, ha ha, so funny. Serious question Clockwork! There's a weird feeling in my head, why?!" Seeing that the ghost was still laughing Danny just sighed while rolling his eyes and sitting up.

"Does he do that a lot," Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow while sitting down beside the teen. Danny just sighed and shook his head while looking over at his father, who was still bent over and trying to control his laughter. It wasn't going well.

"Apparently my various ghostly worries are amusing to him," Danny grumbled, Andrew chuckling beside him at the same time the feeling in his head became amused. "And that feeling is really starting to freak me out..."

"It's nothing to worry about Daniel," Clockwork grinned, trying not to laugh again at Danny's dry expression. It wasn't his fault that he had found it funny that the first thing out of the boy's mouth had been about his lair.

"Oh, are we done laughing at your son now?" Danny asked, trying not to chuckle himself as Clockwork looked startled and shocked before grinning widely.

"For now I suppose." Danny simply rolled his eyes while looking back up at Clockwork, waiting for his answer. "That _feeling _is your lair."

"My...lair... What are you talking about, I don't have a-" Danny cut himself off once he looked up and saw they weren't in the Clock Tower like he had first thought upon waking up. They were actually in some kind of observatory. An octangular room with large windows that seemed to look out over the Ghost Zone.

"Where are we..." Danny trailed off, floating off the ground before zooming around the room, looking out each and every window. The two ghosts watched as the teen slowly grew astonished before looking back down at them, smile slowly forming. "Are we where I think we are?"

"Your lair-" That was about as far as Clockwork got before Danny let out a squeal of joy, zooming around the observatory again and looking out all the windows even more. The two older ghosts felt a burst of joy from Danny's lair, happy that it's owner was pleased.

"Dude! This place is awesome!" Danny yelled from the first level, having flown down the tower at his lair's request. It slightly startled Andrew at how fast Danny had suddenly disappeared from the room while Clockwork was just plain amused at the boy's antics. "It kinda looks like the Torchwood Cardiff... Awesome!"

"I knew it wasn't just me who thought that..." Andrew muttered, slightly grinning and clenching his fist in triumph while Clockwork simply rolled his eyes.

"Whovians."

"Heard that!" Danny shouted up before he suddenly reappeared in front of the two, still looking happy at his new lair. "Whovian and proud of it, even if Sam does think it's a waste of time that could be better spent doing something else."

"Like what?" Andrew asked, sounding astonished at the very thought of something being better than Doctor Who. Danny just grinned while shaking his head and looking close to breaking down into laughter.

"See, now that's what I said, same tone too. Then she just gave this dry Jazz-like look... Which I don't get because both shows are so amazing! I mean, really...time travel with someone called the Doctor and the TARDIS...you could not get more awesome!"

"But of course," Andrew grinned, the two sharing a _bro-fist_. Clockwork looked over at the two, looking more than a little concerned. Both caught the look before blushing, Andrew fiddling with his scarf and Danny scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Okay, there is a perfectly logical explanation for all of that," Danny explained, looking up at Clockwork, who just quirked an eyebrow in reply.

"There is?" Andrew asked, looking surprised. Danny just sighed while hiding his face in his hands, hoping the conversation would magically change to something other than their obsessions. The lair just sent an amused feeling out, causing Danny to grin again.

"So...my own lair?" Clockwork nodded, grinning at seeing Danny so excited over something so soon after he had just become a ghost full time.

"Most, if not all, lairs are sentient. The stronger their ghost is the smarter they are and the quicker they are able to relay information to you." At this Danny chuckled, a few of his memories finally clicking into place.

"Okay...I get it. So that's why I can never surprise you or Andrew when I visit, and why Skulker always knew where to find me that time he had me trapped on his island...okay, yeah. That makes sense..." The two older ghosts watched as the boy trailed off, looking down at his outfit before frowning and sighing. "Really...another outfit change..."

Danny just watched Clockwork dryly as the Guardian had to smother more chuckles. Looking down he saw that he now had more white and green in his clothing, which was no longer hazmat style, thankfully. And...he had belts... "Just who designs these outfits..." Danny muttered, looking at himself to see his cloak had also become lighter and more blue, and he had fingerless gloves as well.

"Ghost's outfits usually take on the ghost's wishes as to what they want to look like," Clockwork explained, Danny blushing while looking down at himself.

"Okay, I am _positive _I have never imagined myself with my green wing stripes in my outfit, or in strapped combat boots and crossing belts... Although the white is a nice touch...and the gloves look pretty cool too..." Danny trailed off. Clockwork just rolled his eyes while Andrew snorted. "So...does my lair have a name, or do I just keep calling it the lair?" Danny asked, sounding amused.

"Well, it's your lair Daniel, you may call it what you wish," Clockwork grinned, watching Danny look out the windows again before grinning.

"The Lookout."

A sudden brush of joy and acceptance brushed through their minds, curtsey of the Lookout. Grinning, and happy with his choice, Danny floated up again while wondering around the room, this time a little slower.

"Huh, this place is pretty big..." Danny muttered, looking out the window to see that the Lookout was about as big as the Clock Tower, and somewhat looked like it. "Wonder if there's a mirror somewhere..." Danny blinked before suddenly shooting down the hole, curtsey of a prompting from the newly-named Lookout.

Clockwork and Andrew merely shared a questioning look before looking back to where Danny had disappeared.

"Danny? What are you doing?" Andrew called down, hovering over the hole. They heard silence for a few seconds before it was broken by an angrily-shouting Danny.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHY ARE MY EYES RED?! AND MY SKIN LOOKS BLUE!" At this Clockwork burst out into more laughter, Andrew shaking his head while touching back down onto the observatory's tile. "HEY! MY FANGS ARE EVEN LARGER NOW! WHY?! WHY FANGS?!"

* * *

I laughed a lot writing this. Just...so many giggles. Now...no killing me, right? Please...

**THE FANGS WERE QUE'S IDEA! IT WAS ALL HERS! BLAME HER!**


	15. White Light True Light

**Ideas...ideas are forming... *cackles***

* * *

Aha. Hi all! Did you miss me? *dodges thrown weapons, that are on fire* I take that as a yes... Well you know, typical excuse, addicting World of WarCraft and all that. XD Anyways! I wanted to comment on something... *cough* Out of all of you reviewers...there was one person who got it... HOW COULD ONLY ONE OF YOU SEE IT?! REALLY?! WASN'T IT OBVIOUS?! WE MADE IT PRACTICALLY TRANSPARENT! *cough*

Anyways! Props to Yoruko Rhapsodos! They were the only who who got the fact that Danny now looks like a mini-Clockwork! XD Get it. Blue-ish skin. Red eyes. White hair. Okay...the fangs probably threw you all off a bit...BLAME QUE! Wait...the fangs might have been my fault...no! THEY WERE QUE'S ORIGINAL IDEA!

ENJOY THE CHAPTER! I'M OFF TO GET MORE SUGAR!

Oh jeez, I almost forgot... Song time! **youtuberepeater com/watch?v=YYLV_u4NNbQ**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**x**

"So...exactly why was he relieved that he didn't posses flaming hair?" Andrew asked, sounding slightly amused as he glanced down at the snoozing teenage ghost in his lap. "Actually, he panicked at seeing his reflection for the first few seconds, then he calmed down, commented about the hair, then kept staring at you the whole time and grinning happily. "

"You caught all of that?" Clockwork asked, quirking an eyebrow while grinning at the ghost. "Sounds like you didn't let him out of your sight for the whole day..."

"Well, I..." At this Andrew blushed heavily, not quite sure how to respond to that, truthful, statement. "You still didn't answer my question..."

"It's...a very long story. One that is not entirely mine to tell..." Clockwork trailed off, glancing down at Danny who was curled up on Andrew's lap with his cloak wrapped around him, passed out asleep.

"Funny...he said the 'it's a long story' thing too, when he first mentioned you a few days ago..." Andrew muttered, looking down at the boy before slightly running a hand through the white hair. Danny seemed to almost purr at the touch before curling up even more. "Although can you at least tell me why he kept looking at you and grinning the whole time?" At this Clockwork chuckled, looking far more amused than he should be at the question. "I'm guessing it has something to do with him looking like a smaller and younger version of you, then?"

"I suppose that's one part of it..." the Guardian muttered, smiling softly while looking down at his son. The boy had been full of energy over the last few hours and had finally worn himself down and collapsed on Andrew's lap, who had been blushing fiercely for the first few minutes.

"Hey, Clockwork...would you be willing to go tell his sister that he's alright, well...sort of alright..." Andrew muttered the last part while glancing down at the boy, whose mouth was slightly open and showing off two sharp fangs. "The last I saw her she and his friends looked like they were ready to tear apart the Ghost Zone for answers."

"I'm sure if she had too she would," Clockwork chuckled, Andrew laughing with him. "I suppose I could at least do that much, although the Observants would mostly likely call _that _meddling with the time-line," Clockwork snorted, waving his staff and opening a blue portal. Andrew raised his eyebrow at that part.

"Speaking of which, at one of our lessons Danny was telling me about them...from what he said I'm surprised they haven't already shown up bothering you two..." At this point he looked over to see that Clockwork had a rather sinister, and mischievous, smile. "What did you do..."

"Now Andrew...do you really think I would do anything to the Stewards of Time, as well as my employers?"

"Yes," the ghost replied, expression flat along with no hesitation. At that Clockwork chuckled, his smile getting less sinister and much more mischievous.

"Funny. Daniel said the same thing when I asked him that...you two really do get along well..." Clockwork grinned, looking completely innocent. A little too innocent. On the outside it looked like he was saying the two were just good friends who got along well.

"What do you mean by- And he's gone..." the book ghost muttered, looking blankly at the spot where the Guardian had been a few moments ago. "Of course he's gone..."

"No...not...the Christmas pictures...you promised..." Danny muttered under his breath, turning around and snuggling into Andrew's side. At this the ghost raised an eyebrow, wondering just what the teen was talking about.

"On second thought...I don't even want to know..."

x

"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT I WOULD KILL MY BABY BOY?!"

Clockwork really believed that for a few short seconds he had gone deaf due to the loud screeching of one Mrs. Fenton. When he realized that he hadn't gone deaf, everyone else had just gone silent, he looked around to see that he was in the Fenton's living room. Staying silent, and invisible, and saw that the Fentons, Sam, Tucker, and two police officers were in the room.

"Mrs. Fenton, please calm down. We are just trying to figure out how this unfortunate event-" one of the officers started speaking, Clockwork realizing that the group was being interviewed about Danny's death.

"THAT PHANTOM GHOST **KILLED** MY BABY! WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY?!" Maddie screamed, Clockwork slightly wincing at how high the woman's voice could go. Looking around he saw that the two teens were staring at the floor, trying to blend into the furniture, while Jazz was siting on an armchair and taking turns between glaring at the police and her parents.

"Here we go again..." Jazz muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing even more.

"Did you say something, young miss?" one of the police officers asked, his partner trying his best to act professional and not rub his ears due to the ringing in them.

"Nothing at all officer. Just that my parents won't listen to anyone besides themselves-"

"Jasmine...enough..." Maddie muttered, finally turning her weary gaze to her daughter. Jazz, instead of being quiet, just turned her glare full force towards her mother.

"No mom, not enough! I can't even believe you!" the girl screamed, jumping up and glaring at her parents. "All of this...it's all your fault! If you hadn't built that stupid ghost portal in the first place none of this..._NONE OF IT..._would have ever even happened! Do you even know how much pain he went through...how often he was hurt... He walked in here limping one day and you didn't even _NOTICE_!"

Clockwork and the officers both seemed to back up a bit, not quite sure how to interrupt a screaming sister whose brother had just been killed. The thing that annoyed Clockwork most however was that he had not seen this, _any _of this, occurring. Whenever he found what was blocking his vision...

"Exactly what do you mean...was your brother being hurt by someone?" one of the officers asked, finally speaking up. His partner was scooting away from him, knowing that if the saying like mother like daughter was true then they were about to go deaf. Sam and Tucker seemed to think the same since they now had their ears covered and were as far away from Jazz as they could get.

"Was he being hurt...by someone..." Jazz muttered, all fight leaving her for a second before her eyes suddenly narrowed. Clockwork had seen that same expression on Danny and as such let his staff float in midair before covering his ears. This was going to be loud...

"**ARE YOU JOKING?! HE WAS BEAT UP, TORTURED, AND HURT EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS! AND THESE TWO NEVER EVEN NOTICED!**" Jazz screamed at the top of her lungs, three years of carefully kept secrets and built-up stress finally pouring out of her, very loudly.

"Jazzy...how many times do we have to explain..." Jack sighed, looking troubled that he was losing both of his children, one right after the other. "Danny...he was possessed by a ghost...from what you've said it sounds like he was possessed for almost three years now... Ever since the portal was activated..."

"**HE WAS NOT POSSESSED DAMMIT! HE WAS THE SAME PERSON! WHY CAN NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT-**" At this point Clockwork headed upstairs, phasing through the ceiling and looking for pen and paper so he could leave a note for the three.

Not even he could handle Jazz's screaming, especially when it came to her little brother. The two were closer than most, and even Clockwork had noticed how Jazz seemed to see Danny more as her child than her brother sometimes. Clockwork winced as a particularity loud scream reached his ears. Even with so much space between them he could still hear Jazz yelling at both her parents and the police officers. At one point he heard her just start mindlessly swearing in every language she knew, which was quite a few.

"And Daniel wonders why the kids at school stopped picking on him a few months ago..." Clockwork muttered, slightly grinning as he opened another portal. When it came to her brother Jasmine Fenton was scarier than even Pariah and Dan working together.

X

"Surely he must be somewhere around here..." Looking around the ghost sighed roughly, running a hand through his hair as he looked around him. He had been looking all over the Ghost Zone since he had first seen the footage of what had happened at the school. "Daniel surely couldn't be that far away..."

A sudden noise of static came from a phone-like device on the ghost's waist. Sighing roughly the ghost picked up the device, flipping the switch to allow communication. "What on earth is it now Skulker?"

"_Oh not much...just wondering why we're even searching for the ghost brat!" _Sighing one more time the ghost considered burning the device... No no, that would just prompt the imbecile to come find him. _"I mean really Plasmius...I know you want the kid as a son...but if what you showed me was true then he's probably dead by now..." _

"And if he is I'll still find him. He'll form as a ghost somewhere in the Zone," Vlad muttered, eyes narrowed as he looked around more. He wasn't even sure where he was anymore he had gone so far into the Ghost Zone. "Just keep looking Skulker and let me know if you find him or anything else."

"_He's the new Guardian anyways, don't know-"_

"His is _not _some foolish Guardian from myth!" Vlad almost screamed into the device. "Those are merely rumors. The Guardians or whatever they are don't exist anymore, if they even did to begin with!" At this Skulker snorted, Vlad hearing it through the device before crushing it. If Skulker had anything really important to tell him he could always find him.

"Now...where could he be...the ghost that took him didn't look like one I've seen before..." Vlad muttered to himself, frowning at himself for sounding worried. Yes he tormented the boy daily and liked to give him a challenging fight every now and then...but he truly did care for the boy deep down, and he _still _wanted him as a son. And he would get him...

If he was the one to save Danny, to help him understand his new role as a ghost...then the boy would come to admire him! And since that fat oaf Jack had been the one to kill him then Danny would want nothing to do with his parents anymore! It would be all the easier to sway the boy to see things his way.

"Now if only I could find him..." Vlad muttered, turning around and getting ready to head back towards his portal. This quadrant of the Zone was obviously not yielding any results. Just as he was about to fly off he felt something. A pull...a soft voice calling him. Raising an eyebrow he looked over towards a cave, the same direction the voice seemed to be coming from. "Strange..."

Slowly flying towards the cave Vlad wearily landed on the ground, he knew for fact that caves were never empty in the Ghost Zone. As soon as he stepped forward he felt a strong pulse of pure malevolence fill him. If he dared to believe in the foolish notions of good and evil he would have called it the latter. As it was though he believe in only power, and _that _had been pure and unrestrained power.

"Curious...what being could have made an energy pulse that strong..." Vlad muttered under his breath, walking forward slowly and keeping an eye out for anything strange. The further he walked into the cave the darker it seemed to get. A few seconds after this thought passed through his head he scolded himself. It was just where he was getting further away from the entrance was all.

"Intruder...what bringsss you into thisss placcce..." a voice hissed from a patch of shadows ahead of him. Vlad stopped in his steps, his hands lighting up faintly with his ecto-energy.

"Oh, and here I was beginning to think this cave was abandoned..." the half-ghost muttered, looking faintly amused. "Tell me, do you know the source of the power I felt?"

"Leave mortal! Thisss placcce is not for eyesss like yoursss," the voice hissed again, Vlad's eyes narrowing at that. _No_ one, human or ghost, told Vlad Masters what to do. "You...who are you mortal...I feel within you...the same foul taint asss my Massster'sss..."

"Well...foul taint or not I am a much stronger Masters," Vlad smirked, his hands glowing brighter with energy. "Now answer my questions and I'm sure we won't have any problems."

"You dare to command me mortal!" the voice yelled, the sound of slithering reaching Vlad's ears. "NONE BUT MY MASSSTER MAY COMMAND ME SSSO! NOW LEAVE!" A sudden steak of white came flying towards the halfa, who cursed before dodging it just in time. "Thisss cave may be entered by none other than my Massster!"

"Oh this will be fun..." Vlad muttered, watching as a large white snake came slithering into his limited vision. It was pure white with large red eyes and _very _large fangs, which were dripping with green venom.

"Come mortal...to your dessstruction!"

"I am no mere mortal..." Vlad muttered, smirking as he flew towards the snake full force, hand aglow with blazing energy.

X

"Nngh..." Danny muttered, yawning as he reluctantly forced his eyes open to see he was laying in someone's lap. Blinking in slight surprise he looked up to see that he was laying on Andrew, who was quietly reading a book. Feeling the teen's gaze Andrew looked down to see that Danny was staring up at him.

"Finally awake I see," Andrew grinned, setting his book to the side, "How are you feeling?" Danny looked up at him for a few seconds before turning to blankly stare at the wall.

"I'm...really dead now...huh..." Danny muttered, slightly curling up again. Andrew looked down at the boy sadly for a few moments before sighing. He supposed that explained why the boy had been so full of energy not too long ago. He had been doing his best to try and forget what had happened.

"Yes Danny...you are..."

"Life's not fair..." Danny muttered, pulling the cloak's hood up over his head before staying perfectly still. Andrew sighed before patting the boy's head through the hood. He knew the boy was crying but not even he would mention it. Every new ghost dealt with this...

"It never really is..." Andrew smiled sadly, watching as Danny shivered a few times, trying to keep his cries quiet. "Did you know that just about every new ghost cries when they first realize what happened to them...I know I bawled my eyes out for almost a week!" Andrew chuckled, hearing a watery laugh from the boy in his lap.

"So...how did you get over it?" Andrew hummed at this, thinking back to when he had first became a ghost and how he had felt upon realizing what had happened.

"I told myself I had to stop whining about it. Crying my eyes out wasn't going to do me much good, and I really didn't want to sit there for the next century moping over something I couldn't change...besides, I had a huge library all to myself and all the time in the world to read." A few seconds later the ghost snorted, "And it was much better in there then having to go to some forced marriage."

"What?" At this Danny turned over and looked up at the ghost, looking surprised. He had some faint tear tracks on his face but he had at least stopped crying. Realizing why Andrew almost blushed. Of course he just _had _to mention that subject...

"It's...a, uh, long story...an arranged marriage on my parent's part..." Andrew muttered, absently scratching his cheek. Danny just stared up at him, waiting for him to continue. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Never," Danny grinned, smiling his first _real _smile since he had become a ghost. Andrew just chuckled, both feeling the brush of amusement from the Lookout. "Besides, Lookout wants to hear the story too. So come on, what happened?" Andrew stared down at the boy a few seconds before sighing and looking annoyed, although really he was trying his best not to smile.

"Alright alright...I guess it all started about a year before I died...it had been at dinner when my parents, out of nowhere mind you, announced that I would be getting married next spring to the daughter of one of our rival companies..."

"Bet that spoiled your dinner, huh?"

"You have no idea..."

X

"If you were this weak I can only imagine how _powerful _your Master must be..." Vlad snorted, looking down at the defeated snake in front of him. The ghost had various wounds all of his body and was starting to disintegrate into thin air.

"Laugh now...mortal...but you know not what you tamper with... Thisss weapon wasss sssealed for a reassson..."

"Weapon...now that is interesting..." Vlad muttered, looking towards the back of the cave where he felt the malevolent energy coming from.

"You knew not even that?" the snake asked, sounding shocked. "Then why would you come to this placcce..."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Vlad glanced down at the snake, looking bored. "I just felt the powerful energy and was curious as to what had caused it."

"Imposssible...none ssshould be able to feel that power...but the Massster..." the snake hissed as he disintegrated even more, nothing but the head remaining now. "Fine mortal. Take your sssword...and ssseal your _Fate_!"

"Hmph." A quick ecto-blast hit the snake's head, wiping the being from existence. "Fate...I don't believe in such things..." Vlad muttered, continuing deeper into the cave like he had been doing before the snake had found him. "But power on the other hand...I do believe in..."

"**Ahaha...you'll believe in Fate very soon..." **Hearing the soft whisper of a voice Vlad paused, looking around wearily while calling forth his energy again. **"What are you waiting for...weren't you going to take the sword?" **

"Hm...not a bad idea..." Vlad grinned, seeing a dull red glow ahead of him. Flying forward just a little more he saw a large and ancient looking sword, wrapped in a red aura. "Interesting..."

"**Just wait child...things will soon be getting even more _interesting_..."**

X

"Just what happened here?" Clockwork muttered to himself, looking around to see that Danny's lair had become very messy, very quickly. A bookshelf had been toppled over and the couch, along with various chairs, were all on their side. It looked like the Clock Tower after Danny had swiped the powder. Reaching out Clockwork called for the Lookout, a gentle voice in his mind sounding both amused and annoyed.

A few images entered his head which just made him more confused. "Do I even _want _to know why Andrew is trying to strangle Daniel?" Clockwork raised an eyebrow, touching down on the main floor only to see Andrew come phasing through the floor before touching down and panting.

"That kid...flies...very fast..." the ghost panted, his scarf and jacket barely hanging on him. "Did you also...know...that the _Lookout..._has levels? And this...is the top one?" Clockwork just shook his head, not at the news of there being more floors but at Andrew's heavy panting.

"I'm guessing that Daniel woke up then?" Clockwork asked, sounding amused. Andrew just looked over at him, looking very annoyed. "I take that as a yes. Dare I ask what happened this time?" Judging by Andrew's suddenly blushing face Clockwork guessed that whatever it was had to have been very embarrassing.

"Nothing much," Danny grinned, popping up behind Clockwork. The Time ghost just quirked an eyebrow as he felt Danny hang off his shoulders again, like he had in the Clock Tower, looking over at the panting Andrew with a small smirk. "Andrew just needs to develop a sense of humor is all..."

"And you need to develop some manners you brat," Andrew muttered under his breath, slightly glaring at the boy. Although...he _was _doing his best not to crack up and smile. Danny seemed to know the ghost was kidding however since he just grinned again and rolled his eyes.

"You shouldn't have told such an amusing story then," the boy replied, Clockwork raising an eyebrow at that. Danny noticed the look since he just chuckled. "Andrew was telling me about his life before he died...it was...just...no words to describe it..." The boy grinned, trying no to break down into laughter again.

"I leave you two alone for less than an hour and this happens..." Clockwork sighed, Danny just chuckling while finally letting go of the elder's shoulders and coming to float in front of him.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you, I dreamed about that girl again, the one from about a week ago!" Danny frowned, looking half-annoyed and half-amused. Clockwork seemed surprised before paying attention.

"Oh, dreaming about strange girls Danny? How- Hey!" Andrew shouted, looking up from where he had been knocked down by a blue ecto-blast from an annoyed Danny, who suddenly looked at the fading energy around his hand in surprise.

"Hm...wonder why it's blue now..." Danny muttered under his breath. "Anyways! She seemed like she knew you..." At this Clockwork looked surprised. "She also used that damn flow-not-fight thing...I hate that lesson...so much..." At this point Clockwork snorted.

"Nothing normal ever happens to you Daniel..." Clockwork sighed, Danny looking over at him before frowning and crossing his arms.

"Why does everyone say that..."

"Because it's true."

"Shut it you," Danny snapped, looking more and more annoyed by the second, which was an ironic twist since it was now Andrew teasing the new Guardian.

"Oh, Clockwork, do you wanna hear what happened to Danny while you where gone?" Andrew asked, sounding a little _too _happy. Said ghost of Time just raised an eyebrow as he watched Andrew smirk mischievously and Danny suddenly pale.

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, but I would. See, he was chasing me when-" Andrew suddenly cut himself off as Danny flew towards him, trying to tackle him to the ground. "Nice try Danny, but you're going to have to try harder than that!"

"You little! Get back here!" Danny shouted, following Andrew through the floor and into the lower levels. Clockwork just shook his head as the Lookout let out an internal sigh, knowing there was now going to be an even bigger mess.

"I don't think I even want to ask..." Clockwork sighed while looking towards the lowered platform, noticing one of the screens was blinking. Frowning the ghost flew over, tapping the screen only to frown confusedly at what he saw on it. "What in the world..." the ghost muttered, the words blinking sluggishly before they slowly faded, the screen going back to black.

_The Council is Reforming..._


	16. Storytime

**Almost done updating, I can taste it...and all these ideas floating around in my head... *cackles***

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So it's a bit short, and I've been gone for almost two months. I HAVE A LIFE TOO! Now. I am trying really hard not to act like an immature little sixteen year old girl who is always whining because her parents don't _understand _her. *deep breath*

I"m fine. What mainly got me off my lazy butt to write is some of my reviewers, who didn't give up on me, and Que. You all are the best. One in particular gave me a boost, after I commented on her Hotel Transylvania story, which was amazing and called Fledgling. So thanks Alexa Piper. You may not realize it but you got my butt in gear! XD You and Que.

Song time! **youtuberepeater com/watch?v=T5i7htF2AwY**

As said by Que, this is Andrew's themesong. XD Again, sorry for short chapter. It will be updated soon.

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**Chapter 16**

**x**

"I'm so bored..." Danny muttered, letting a whoosh of breath to blow his bangs up even as he collapsed on the couch in the main room of his lair. For the past week since he had woken up as a ghost he had been spending every day exploring his lair and hanging out with Andrew, who still hadn't let up on his history lessons. "Why can we never do anything interesting for class?" the teen whined, looking over as Andrew came floating up from one of the lower levels.

"Because then it wouldn't be history," the ghost smirked, placing his armful of books back in their appropriate places on the bookshelf. Danny grumbled under his breath, scratching the back of his head and looking even more bored than before his class had started. He mostly blamed it on the fact that Clockwork had vanished off somewhere and he hadn't seen him since the whole Andrew chasing incident.

He still thought it was the bookworm's fault for telling such an amusing story.

"Why don't you try practicing with your powers or doing some training?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow in the teen's direction while shelving the last book. Danny simply snorted at the question while looking over in the elder's direction.

"Are you kidding me? The last time I tried to practice with my powers without Clockwork around you ended up getting blasted back into the wall, remember that? Lookout wasn't happy about that either...wait...was that before or after I destroyed half of a lower level?" Andrew looked closed to banging his head against something, preferably something hard, while Danny just looked curious. A brief picture in his head and the weary feeling of the Lookout gave him the answer. "Oh yeah...it was before..."

"How are you so destructive?" Andrew muttered under his breath, not really expecting an answer, especially not one in the form of a mischievous Guardian of Time.

"It's in his nature, the same as it's in yours to correct every grammatical error you find." If Danny and Clockwork happened to notice that the book ghost was now hiding behind the couch and clutching his chest in shock neither of them chose to comment on it.

"Oh? And where have you been?" Danny asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking over towards the time ghost, who merely smirked one of his all-knowing smirks.

"Finding things out, as usual," the ghost smiled, Danny rolling his eyes while Andrew tried to calm down behind him. "Speaking of which, your funeral will be held in two days at precisely ten in the morning on Saturday." At this both Andrew and Danny froze, barely even breathing.

"I...I see... Anyone interesting showing up?" Danny grinned, looking as if he was passing it off as nothing but a joking matter. Andrew was about to lecture him that this was serious before a swift glance from Clockwork cut him off. Raising an eyebrow in question at the time ghost the Guardian merely let his eyes flick to Danny and back. Shaking his head Andrew followed the path, noticing for the first time that Danny was shivering.

And he was pretty sure it wasn't to do with his ice powers.

"Well as far as I know it's meant to be a small ceremony. Friends and family and such," Clockwork responded with a small smile, his voice a little too tight to be natural. If Danny noticed though he didn't show it.

"Ah..." After this the place filled with silence, the only noise being the faint humming of the computers in the center of the room. "So...I think...maybe I should go back..." At this Andrew's head snapped up, Clockwork raising an eyebrow in question. Seeing the look Danny forced a smile, trying to look like his usual self. "To the human world."

The human world...because it was no longer _his _world.

"What? You're going back?! Really?! Why?!" Andrew coughed awkwardly when both turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "I, uh...I mean... Oh, you're going back? Whatever for?" At this Danny snorted, looking amused.

"Yeah...nice save there." Andrew just frowned while slightly glaring at the ground, a blush working it's way to his face. "And I was thinking of going back because I figured I should at least let my sister and friends know I'm okay, or at least as okay as I can get...given the circumstances and all..." At this he trailed off, both Clockwork and Andrew sharing a look.

"If you want to go and visit them that is your choice Daniel," Clockwork smiled gently, fatherly. "They should be close to the portal last I was aware." Andrew raised an eyebrow at the slightly halting sentence but Danny didn't seem to have noticed, the halting sentence or the fact that the ghost had avoided saying the words both Fenton and home.

"Uh-huh, you mean last time you spied on them," Danny snorted, getting up and stretching his back and wings out. "Well...guess now is as good a time as ever..."

"Speaking of going...I need to go get a few books from my library for tomorrow's lesson..." Andrew muttered, Danny making a groan of both pain and annoyance.

"Really?! More?! You have _got _to be kidding me!" Danny shouted, Andrew just chuckling as the two flew towards the entrance, phasing out. "Be back later Lookout, Clockwork!" Danny shouted back before going back to shouting at his friend. "How can you seriously get even more books?!"

"Contrary to your _modern day-_" Wow...Danny could actually feel the sarcasm in there, it was that strong. "-beliefs not everything in history can be learned all from one book. Especially when it comes to something as vast as the Ghost Zone, which you need to know all about, considering you are now Guardian of protecting it." When the ghost glanced back he saw that the newest _Guardian _was making mocking gestures of his talking, not having seen Andrew turn around. "Mature Danny. Mature."

"Oh, what?" Seeing the elder's gaze Danny blushed while scratching one cheek absently, Andrew rolling his eyes. Letting out an embarrassed chuckle Danny looked back up. "Sorry."

"Yes yes, apology excepted," Andrew rolled his eyes, looking stern. On the inside though he was smiling. "Now go and see your friends, last I saw they were worried sick about it. Your sister looked ready to choke me with my own scarf..." At this Danny had to cover his mouth, trying not to burst out laughing. "Yes yes, my pain is very amusing, now shoo."

"Yeah yeah, I'm going," Danny shook his head, grinning and flying off towards the Fenton Ghost Portal. Only until he was out of sight did Andrew allow himself to shake his head, chuckling under his breath.

"These next few months are going to be quite interesting..." the ghost muttered, starting to head towards his own lair when he heard a faint humming noise, like a far-away lullaby that you hear when half-asleep. Tilting his head Andrew tried to pinpoint the location only to realize it was coming from the direction of his lair.

Making a confused noise he flew off towards his library, wondering why a humming noise would be coming from that direction. The only ghost he knew that actively hummed, or sang for that matter, lived with Skulker, which was on the other side of the Zone. That and not many ghosts passed by his lair.

Arriving at the library Andrew gently touched down on the top step, quirking his head to the side as he heard the humming again, this time coming from the inside. Narrowing his eyes, with a slightly suspicious look on his face, he walked forward, the doors opening of their own accord. His glare slightly softened when he felt the gentle touch of his own lair, welcoming him back.

_So the humming is coming from inside... _Andrew thought, hearing the humming noise even louder as he walked through the mazes of bookshelves. _Anyone, or thing, come in recently, Vidya? _Andrew asked his lair, receiving a negative feeling in response. _Thought so...so what is it..._

Walking through the bookshelves he glanced around, starting to see that he was reaching the back of the library. He hadn't actually been this far back into his lair in quite some time... Actually...the last time he had been in the back of his lair was when...

"No way..." Andrew muttered, eyes narrowing as he flew forward, phasing through the last few bookshelves before coming to a halt at an old wooden desk. The desk itself wasn't so odd, nor was the lit candle, scattered paper, and half-filled bottles of ink. What was odd however was the purple feathered quill sitting on the desk and glowing with a faint purple outline. "A humming quill...that's a new one, huh Vidya..." Mixed feelings of amusement and concern met his comment. "I'm sure it's fine... I hope..."

Sighing Andrew stared down at the quill, wondering why it had been humming and glowing, and, well..._calling_ to him. Last he checked pens, or quills, didn't call to him, or ghosts in general for that matter... Shaking his head Andrew started walking away, a feeling of alarm shooting through the mental link with his lair. Whipping around Andrew raised his hand, purple ecto-energy already starting to gather.

Sure his blasts weren't as strong as other ghosts but he did have enough power to knock someone away before making a plan to take them down. Looking around however he saw that wasn't necessary, the only moving thing was the quill.

"Really Vidya? You're panicking over a moving...quill... Quills don't move... At least not on their own..." Andrew muttered, ecto-energy staying in his hand as he scanned the area. Working with Vidya he was at least able to tell that there were no other ghosts in or near the lair, invisible or otherwise. "Okay... I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this." A short burst of sarcasm met his comment.

"Well excuse me," Andrew muttered, rolling his eyes while letting the ecto-energy disperse from his hand. He could understand his lair's point-of-view though...neither of them liked seeings things that couldn't be explained. Ghosts? Explainable. Swirling portals of energy that lead to another dimension? Explainable. Quill writing by itself? Yeah...he was still working on that one...

"Huh...what in the world..." Andrew muttered, watching the pen fall to the desk once it had finished writing. There were only a few words written, and those were in a fancy calligraphy, one that looked very old. It wasn't the script that had the ghost confused however, it was the words. They didn't make any sense, although...for some reason they seemed to carry more weight than they should...

"The Council is Reforming..."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at the words, wondering what they meant. What council...and why was it reforming? A sudden flash went through his head. Gasping the ghost stumbled backwards, tripping over a stray book and crashing to the floor. Groaning the ghost shook his head, looking startled.

"Vidya, please tell me you sent that image..." At the negative reply Andrew officially began to get worried. Flashes of images don't happen for no reason, unless you're a Guardian like Clockwork or Danny...or had suppressed memories. Since he was and had neither he was even more confused.

"Okay...think Andrew... Twelve people. A stone floor...everyone in shadows... And symbols. What symbols..." Andrew muttered under his breath, scratching his head. A sudden idea wormed it's way into his head, but there was no way. Absolutely no way. With a push from Vidya the book he needed landed in his hands, Andrew shakily opening the book, which didn't even seem to have a title.

Flipping through the pages hurriedly Andrew's eyes widened when he saw the page he was looking for. The same symbols he had seen in that brief flash. Each person, or ghost now that he thought about it, was standing on a circle with one of the symbols on it.

"This is...this is impossible!" Andrew muttered, shaking his head yet _knowing _he was right. There was no other way it could be anything else... But still...

"The Symbols of the Guardians..."

* * *

*cackles* Know the best part? Not even Que knew this was coming! Bwahahaha! Wonder how many comments shall be cussing me out.

* * *

**Come on guys...not even a little cussing out? Don't I deserve my very own troll to bash me? I like fights! It's fun to twist it around and make your opponent suffer!**


	17. Life is Like a Boat

**ZHE EDITS! ZHE ARE DONE- WHY IS MY INNER VOICE FRENCH?! KIT?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? wHAT? ...What do you mean you're practicing your French, why the hell are you even- No. Just... No. I don't even... I'm gonna go work on next chapter now.**

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Okay...it's been a while... What can I say. I have a life too! A shocking concept but true. Now, a few things to get rid of before you start reading. First, this is a picture of Danny's lair, designed by my fantastic friend and co-author, Que.

**acer-kaze deviantart com/art/Dannys-Lair-Guardian - 313035232**

Now remember, in the reviews put 'We love you Que, thank you for your hard work.' XD Oh yeah, and here's your song, once gain thought of by the brilliant Que. Without her this story would not exist. So thank her. XD

Right now. Thank her.

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=_83AkkWPkFo**

Now! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 17**

**x**

"Can't believe I'm doing this..." Danny muttered harshly under his breath, shaking his head while staring at the large portal in front of him and looking at the swirling green pattern that had become so familiar to him over the years. "Come on Phantom...just go right in..." Taking a deep breath, and holding it in, Danny jumped through the portal, invisible with eyes screwed shut. It took a few minutes of silence before Danny finally peeked an eye open far enough to see that the lab lights were turned off and the room was dark, the only real light source coming from the portal behind him.

"Hello..." Danny hesitantly called out while pulling his cloak around him tighter, even going so far as to pull the hood up. He hated silence, something he had learned to hate due to ghost hunting. Silence usually meant the ghosts were planning on how best to sneak up on him. Standing still a few more seconds he finally dropped his invisibility, folding his wings up carefully and hiding them under his cloak as he touched down on the ground. "Well...guess it's empty..."

Walking forward the ghost glanced around the lab, noticing it looked no different from when he was last there to empty out the Fenton Thermos. The one thing that was different however was the large ecto-cannons that were pointing right at him as he walked past the large table they were sitting on. Of course, in his mind they weren't harmlessly laying on a table.

"_Danny! Look out!"_

"_Freeze spook!"_

"_Don't even bother...you're not going anywhere! You're not gonna get our son that easily, Phantom!" _

When Danny opened his eyes he saw he had backed himself up against a nearby wall and was shivering, his hands already glowing with blue ecto-energy. Not even giving it a second thought Danny called forth both his invisibility and intangibility before shooting up through the ceiling. "Okay..." Danny panted, eyes clenched shut while slowing leaning against the kitchen wall and sliding down to the floor. "I _really _wanna go home now..."

_But where is home..._

As soon as the thought entered the ghost's head he froze. He actually wasn't sure where home was anymore... For as long as he knew his home had always been Fenton Works. Wacky, and often on fire, Fenton Works...but he wasn't really a human anymore...this was no longer his home. This was no longer his world...

So where was home really...

Shaking his head the boy stood up, looking around while taking deep breathes, trying to calm his racing thoughts. It didn't look like anyone was there, even all the lights had been turned off. Sighing the teen glanced up at ceiling, slowly floating up towards the second level. Looking around he saw he had phased right into Jazz's bedroom.

He was slightly shocked when he saw that Jazz, and Sam and Tucker he noticed, were sitting in various places around the room. Sam was at the desk, arms folded with her head resting on them, glaring at the wall. Tucker was sprawled out on the floor near the bed, staring at his PDA, which was switched off. The fact that the little device _was _off scared Danny more than anything. Finally looking towards his sister he felt guilty.

Very guilty.

Jazz was sitting against the wall on her bed, knees folded up with her arms wrapped around them, chin resting on top. She was staring lifelessly at the wall, as if all will to live had been zapped out of her. The most noticeable thing in the room however was the fact that there was no noise. It was absolutely quiet. Danny was _sure _that he could have heard a pin drop.

"How can you all stand being this quiet..." Danny muttered, rolling his eyes as he touched down on the floor while dropping his invisibility. He probably should have kept his intangibility though since he was quickly tackled down to the floor by two flying girls. While thanking his lucky stars he didn't have to breathe he noticed that Tucker was trying to wiggle out from under the bed, he looked to be stuck after having darted under there at the surprise of hearing a voice from nowhere.

Shaking his head at the sight Danny grinned, looking down to see that Jazz was crying while smothering Danny to her chest and Sam was clinging to him while looking misty-eyed. The teen almost chuckled at seeing how even Tucker was close to tears. Honestly...it's not like they could get rid of him that easily.

"So...how've you all been-" Before Danny could get the rest of his rather sarcastic remark out he felt a sharp stinging sensation on his cheek. It took a few seconds for the pain to sink in but when he did it was his turn to be close to tears. Looking over at Sam, who was glaring, he looked beyond confused.

"How the hell do you think we've been?!" Sam demanded, almost shouting, as the clear-cut hand imprint on his cheek burned. "What with you being _dead_ and all!" At this point Danny adopted his kicked puppy expression, hoping not to get hurt again. Sam seemed to freeze for a second before her glare softened.

"Sorry Sammy..." Danny meekly apologized, looking down towards the ground as his bangs fell over his eyes. The teen almost grinned when he heard Sam sigh in defeat. She never could stay mad when he used that expression, especially combined with him calling her Sammy.

"Yeah yeah...just don't _ever _do something like that again..." Sam muttered, sighing before going back to hugging him, this time softer. Of course Jazz hadn't let go of her little brother the whole time, her head buried in his hair. The boy had felt her tears since she had first tackled him but had felt it best not to mention that fact. He'd rather not have _another _hand imprint on his other cheek.

"S-So little brother...what's new with you?" Jazz finally asked, wiping off her tears and looking as composed as possible, given the situation. Danny just grinned while slightly shaking his head, hugging Jazz back.

"Oh not much... Became a full-fledged Guardian, went through another costume change, got my own lair... You know, completely normal ghost stuff..." Danny muttered offhandedly, Tucker's face suddenly in front of him so quickly that he ended up falling on his back as he tried to lean away in surprise.

"Dude! No freaking way! You really have your own lair?!" Danny grinned while nodding, sitting back up as the three settled into comfortable positions on the floor around him.

"Yep, and it's awesome! It's like this huge space tower, right? And it even has computers and everything!" Jazz smiled softly to herself while watching Danny explain his new lair, smiling with that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, he was even using his hands to describe things like he always did. Sighing the girl knew that Danny was hiding something, there was no way he could be _this_ happy...not after...

She would get the secret out of him later though. For now she would just enjoy the fact that her little brother was here, safe and sound...and _alive_... Or at least, in a sense.

"I'm telling you, the Tardis is nowhere _near_ as cool as the Cardiff!" Danny glared, Tucker glaring right back. Sam was shaking her head, half-glad things where back to normal and half-angry that even after Danny dies they can still do the same old things.

"No way man, the Tardis is superior in every way," Tucker bit back, crossing his arms stubbornly. "It's alien tech! There's no way the Cardiff could beat a piece of alien tech, especially the _Doctor's _alien tech!"

"Tuck, I tell you this because I care..." Danny took a deep breath, looking serious. At this all three payed attention. "You're delusional." And now they were stuck between sighing and laughing. Jazz was more than a little surprised that even after all that had happened the group could still fall into their same old rhythm. "You guys are gonna have to visit at some point, you'll just have to see it to see how awesome it it! It's the huge new space base between Clockwork's and Andrew's-" Danny trailed off while watching as his sister and two friends all shared an amused look. "What...what's with the look?"

"Nothing Danny," Jazz smiled, "Nothing at all." Said boy snorted while shaking his head, deciding not to ask. He was sure he would regret it if he did. Jazz watched as her little brother's smile faded before he glanced up and then back down at the floor, a nervous habit she thought he had gotten rid of.

"So...how are our parents doing...with what happened and all..." If Danny noticed that the room had gone quiet very quickly he didn't seem to notice. He glanced up at Jazz in time to see her sigh and glance to the side.

"They don't want to believe you're Phantom, no matter how much we try to explain it to them. We've tried everything to get them to see that we're not lying or crazy, even taking the scientific standpoint! But...you know how stubborn they are when they think they're right..." Jazz muttered bitterly, glaring at the floor.

"Not like we can prove it anymore anyways," Sam harshly muttered, Jazz and Danny sighing in tandem. Tucker was nodding in agreement before suddenly stopping and looking over at his PDA still resting on the floor.

"Oh, duh!" the teen suddenly shouted, grabbing all three's attention. "We can prove it!" Tucker grinned, stretching over to grab his PDA and turn it on for the first time since that day at the school. Powering through it he didn't seem to notice that all three were staring at him like he had finally cracked.

"Tucker...what are you talking about?" Sam asked, looking skeptic. Jazz and Danny just looked worried for their friend's mental state.

"We can prove that Danny _Fenton_ is also Danny _Phantom_! We used to record the video footage of him training and changing from Fenton to Phantom! Remember?! I must have over four hours of video to prove it!" Tucker shouted, looking proud of himself. Sam looked shocked at the explanation while Danny just looked at the PDA wearily.

"They probably wouldn't believe it even with the video Tuck, damn deluded people that they are..." Jazz muttered harshly under her breath, glaring at the little PDA with all the hate she could manage.

"Jazz! Did you just swear?!" Danny half-shouted, looking more shocked than when he had discovered he had ghost powers. Jazz looked shocked herself before looking over at her brother, who was looking closer and closer to a mental and nervous breakdown.

"No, of course not! You must be imagining things Danny!" Jazz nervously laughed, waving her hands back and forth in denial. Tucker and Sam were doing their best to not break down into laughter, although they seemed to be failing since they couldn't stop the occasional giggle from being heard.

"But...but..." Danny muttered, looking almost as lost and confused as a puppy seeing the world for the first time. Even though Sam was having fun with this she decided to take pity on the two siblings and try to change the subject into a less childhood-destroying approach.

"Okay, moving on..." Sam interrupted, waiting till she had everyone's attention, "Maybe we can use the videos to prove that Danny was half-ghost. I mean, even if your guys' parents are deluded, they're still scientists. They'll have to believe the footage!"

"Yeah, scientists who study ghosts..." Tucker muttered, going silent when Sam turned her glare on him. "I'm just saying! Now that I think about it it may not work... I mean, they don't really take logic at face-value. They'll probably just say we faked them or something, it wouldn't surprise me..."

"Yes, they'll obviously think we faked them," Sam mocked, glaring even harder, "Of course they'll believe them Tucker! Even they aren't _that_ deluded!"

"Sam...they lived with Danny as a half-ghost for three years and they still didn't figure it out! What makes you think they'll believe _anything _we say _or _show them?!"

Danny watched, slightly amused, as his two friends bickered back and forth over the video clips of him turning into Phantom. Personally he was in agreement with Tucker. His parents could delude themselves into just about anything, heck, Jack still thought Vlad was his best friend!

"Danny..." Hearing his name the boy looked over to see his sister was eying him with one of her _we-need-to-talk _looks. Sighing and preparing for a long conversation, with a bit of a heart-to-heart moment, he slightly turned around, showing her she had his attention. "Are you really okay?" Great. First question and he was already stuck.

"Well...uh...kinda..." Danny trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Jazz sighed before placing her hand under his chin and tilting the boy's head up, looking into his eyes.

"You're still scared of them, aren't you?" Jazz smiled sadly, watching as Danny looked into her eyes with clear fear showing, along with misty eyes.

"More terrified than you could possibly imagine..." Danny muttered, averting his eyes back down to the floor, not even bothering to pretend listening to Sam and Tuck's debate anymore, which had evolved more into a screaming and yelling match than an actual debate.

"Danny...you can't be afraid of them forever..." Jazz muttered, pulling her brother in for a hug. Danny frowned for a second before hugging the girl back, sighing deeply. "I understand if you hate them and never want to see them again, but being scared is something that I don't want you to be..."

"I don't hate them," Danny muttered, so softly that Jazz had trouble hearing him. "I don't hate them...I just... Is it wrong for me to not see them as parents anymore? Just...even before all of this they never really seemed... Am I a bad kid?" Jazz looked down in shock at her brother before shaking her head and raising Danny's, forcing the boy to look her in the eye.

"Danny...how could you ever think that you're a bad kid... We've discussed this before, you're a hero. You aren't bad or evil...you're one of the nicest kids I know," Jazz smiled, Danny still looking up at her with an unsure expression.

"Yeah, but... Over the past few years it's like I don't even see them as parents...just relatives who don't really understand me... Heck, I see Clockwork more as a dad than my actual dad!" Danny exclaimed, looking even closer to tears than before. "I just...I feel like I'm a terrible kid, not even seeing my parents as, well, parents..."

"Danny..." Jazz muttered sadly, pulling the boy in for another hug. "It's okay for you to feel that way. Some kids just don't get along with their birth parents, it happens. Sometimes the parents they love most aren't even related to them! It's perfectly normal for you to feel what you're feeling, even if you don't think so."

"But-"

"No buts," Jazz stated firmly, pulling Danny back to place a soft kiss on his forehead, the boy blushing in response. "You are perfect just the way you are, you don't need to try and change yourself or your views...okay?"

"Kay..." Danny grinned, looking happier than he had when he had first come in.

"Speaking of Clockwork though...you actually look a lot like him..." Jazz muttered, Danny looking surprised for a second before chuckling and smiling hugely. The tense mood from before was suddenly gone, the two smiling and grinning at each other.

"I TOLD YOU! THEY ARE DELUDED!" Tucker screamed, ruining the moment. Danny rolled his eyes while Jazz sighed and let go of the boy's face. They turned around to see that both teens were standing up and were forehead to forehead, glaring at each other as harshly as they could.

"That's one way to break up a heart-to-heart," Danny chuckled, Jazz just shaking her head in amusement.

"Indeed," Jazz grinned, looking down to see that Danny looked shocked, "Hm, Danny? What's wrong?" The boy was silent for a few more seconds before shaking his head and grinning softly.

"Nothing, nothing...you just reminded me of someone for a second..."

"Really, who?" Jazz asked, Danny shaking his head and just grinning.

"You'll find out eventually...in the meantime however I should probably get ready to go..." the boy trailed off, floating up off the floor before standing on his feet. Jazz frowned while standing up herself, hitting Sam and Tucker on the back of their heads to shut them up.

"Do you really have to go?" Jazz asked, Sam and Tucker still glaring at each other while trying to listen at the same time.

"Yeah, Clockwork explained to me that I can't stay in the mortal world too long after becoming a new ghost, I have to stay in then Ghost Zone so my vitality doesn't drain out or something like that," Danny grinned while scratching the back of his head. "To be honest I was a little confused, especially when Andrew started to try and explain it...that was when I got really lost..."

Jazz shook her head in amusement while moving forward to grab her brother in one last hug, Sam and Tucker joining the now group hug. "Just don't wait so long next time before you come and visit," Jazz muttered, Danny chuckling in response.

"Well, you could just take the Specter Speeder and come visit me," Danny grinned. "You guys are welcome at the Lookout anytime you want."

"The Lookout?" Tucker raised an eyebrow, Sam just shaking her head in amusement as Jazz chuckled. Danny grinned before nodding and rocking back and forth on the balls of his heels.

"Watchtower was just a little too Justice League for me."

x

"No Amanda...don't follow Armart, he's no good for you...he'll lead you to your destruction..." Danny muttered under his breath, glaring at the book in his hands while turning the page. "Why are you so brutal, History..." The ticking of all the clocks made it hard for him to concentrate on reading while in the Clocktower but he was used to tuning out the noise by now. He was also used to tuning out Clockwork's growling and cursing behind him.

"Damn mirrors," the time ghost muttered, finally lowering his staff while walking away from the mirrors, sending one last glare their way. Shaking his head the ghost walked over to his son, who was comfortably curled up in a nearby armchair with a large book in his hands. Curious the ghost walked around to read the title of the book, trying not to laugh when he noticed what the boy was reading.

"What...what's with the chuckle?" Danny asked, looking up from the pages and seeing that Clockwork was smiling wider than he should be.

"Nothing Daniel, I'm sure Andrew would be proud however that you are doing your homework." At this Danny blushed, glaring before going back to his reading.

"Yeah, well...shut-up..." He couldn't help but do an inner facepalm at his lame retort. He almost groaned when he heard the ghost chuckle just a little more before sitting down in the armchair across from him.

"So, you talked to your sister and friends today, yes?" Clockwork asked, sounding slightly amused. Danny narrowed his eyes while looking up at the time master.

"Yeah..." the boy replied slowly, suddenly frowning as a thought struck him. "You were spying, weren't you?"

"Technically it is not considered spying if you are the Guardian of Time," Clockwork slightly smirked, Danny scoffing and rolling his eyes.

"Right, of course it isn't. I bet your mentor said the same thing," Danny muttered, Clockwork chuckling.

"He did actually, and I had much the same response as you had." At this Danny chuckled himself. The Tower was quiet for a few seconds after that before a serious aura seemed to seep into the room. "Daniel..." Clockwork trailed off, the boy looking up at the ghost curiously at the serious tone. "I think it might be good for you if you talked to your parents, one last time at the very least." Danny stared at the ghost for a few seconds before smiling sadly and shaking his head.

"How could I... It's not like they would even listen to what I have to say as I am now... I'm just putrid protoplasm in their eyes..."

"Amorpho." Danny looked up at Clockwork, suddenly very confused at the mention of the shape-shifting ghost. Another second of thinking and the boy's eyes widened, grin slowly forming.

"You think he could help?"

"I do. Amorpho could teach you to shape-shift into your old human form, at least long enough to talk to your parents for a few minutes."

"Well...I guess..." Danny muttered slowly, "Dan was able to do something like that now that I think about it..." The teen glanced up at Clockwork before mulling the idea over for a few more seconds. It's not like it could hurt, and even if he chose not to see his parents shape-shifting into a human would be handy if he had to go to the human world for something... Sighing softly Danny looked up to see that Clockwork was smiling, as if he had known Danny's answer all along.

Which he probably had.

"I suppose it couldn't really hurt..." the boy muttered, watching as Clockwork grinned a little wider. Rolling his eyes at the ghost's happy expression he glanced over to one of the clocks only to see that Amorpho was right beside him. Jumping at the sudden sight the boy slipped off his seat, hitting the floor as his ghost sense finally went off. "You suck Clockwork..." Danny groaned while sitting up and rubbing his head, wings flared out behind him from his shock.

"Being Master of Time does have it's privileges..." Clockwork grinned, standing up while twirling his staff and walking back over to the mirrors. "I'll let you two go train now."

"Come on Phantom, time to learn a few new things." Danny didn't know how but he _knew _that Amorpho was smirking, even if he didn't really have a mouth to smirk with. Slightly paling Danny sighed as he was dragged along to a room to train in. He was probably in for a pretty long night...

* * *

So, more of a filler chapter than anything, it's kind of leading into the actual plot, so be patient. Now, in November you may get very little updates or none at all, because it's NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month! It's where writers, like me, take one month and try to write a novel. It's time-consuming, gives us nightmares and headaches, and makes us cry.

Sounds like fun, yeah? XD So just be prepared if you don't get a chapter during that time, kay? Kay! If you really get bored you can just re-read the story, I know I do that when I'm waiting for updates on my favorite story. Like oh, for example... Snow Point Academy, by Que. It's a great story, a Harry Potter one...

*hint hint* *nudge nudge*


	18. If I Die Young

****So I told a few of you this would be up by yesterday. I lied. I do that often. Also, I went back **and edited all the chapters** so you might want to go back and re-read this whole story. Yeah. I'm mean like that. XD Don't worry. You'll enjoy it, I even added some new songs. Also, question.

Do you any of you follow the links and listen to the song I give you?

Speaking of songs, here's yours for the chapter! ...I swear I'll update faster next time...NaNoWriMo and life and everything...

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=Aw8W6hYGZ0E**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**x**

"Well done Phantom, that's the most progress I've seen so far," Amorpho commented approvingly while looking down at a heavily panting Danny Fenton. Danny just looked up at the ghost before grinning and letting his transformation rings finally spring forward and change him back into Phantom.

"Thanks. It looks like I can only hold the form for a few minutes though..." Danny sighed before resting his hands on his knees and trying to get his breath back. Changing into Fenton _now _was nothing like when he had done it before. Before his death he hadn't even had to think about changing, it just came natural...now though...

It felt like he was trying to go against nature.

"A few minutes is at least better than the few seconds from when you started," Amorpho spoke up, Danny sensing the grin he could imagine the ghost wearing. It was also true. The first time he had tried he hadn't even managed to get the rings past his stomach without them snapping back.

"True...thanks for all your help Amorpho," Danny smiled while finally standing back up and looking over at the faceless ghost, who seemed to be radiating a sense of satisfaction.

"It was my pleasure, and besides, I would have helped you even if you weren't our new Guardian...you're one of the few good kids out there, as far as ghosts go anyways." Danny rolled his eyes at that as Amorpho chuckled, "And you certainly know the value of a well-done prank." At that Danny grinned again. Amorpho was a great friend to have when April Fool's day came around.

While the ghost started going on about the importance of pranking correctly Danny glanced down at his watch he had received from Clockwork, startled when he saw the time. It was already nine and his funeral started in an hour... It was still so weird to think he was going to his own funeral.

"Bye Amorpho! Sorry I can't stay and hear the finer points of your pranking philosophy but I have a funeral to go to," Danny called out, not even waiting for an answer before he shot through the air and flew straight towards the Fenton Portal. The portal wasn't too far from the Clocktower but it still gave him enough time to think about things that he would rather _not _think about.

Like the fact people he knew were actually going to his _funeral_.

"Today's gonna be a long day," Danny finally sighed before turning invisible and flying through the swirling portal, which had probably been left open by Jazz or one of his friends so he could get through. Sure he could get through even if the doors were closed...it just took more time.

Flying out into the lab Danny didn't even pause before he was shooting through the ceiling and out the roof, calmly touching down on top of the Fenton Ops Center. From what he had seen through is quick fly-through the house was empty with all the lights off. "Alright Phantom...time to go visit your funeral..." Danny muttered before jumping off the top of the roof and flying forward. He then abruptly stopped in mid-air.

He didn't actually _know _where his funeral was.

"Smooth Phantom...smooth..." Danny muttered under his breath before hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand. He knew he could be rather clueless at times and he was still trying to get used to being a full ghost but not even asking where his funeral was? That was...that was just stupid... "Okay...it's fine...I can still find it... Just have to..."

Seeing something moving out of the corner of his eyes Danny didn't even pause before he was backing up, hands aglow with ecto-energy. Three years of ghost hunting were hard to break, even when the _ghost _turned out to be nothing but a floating piece of paper.

Quirking an eyebrow as the sight finally registered Danny sighed before plucking the piece of paper out the air and turning it over, seeing clean and precise writing telling the exact location of the funeral hall where his procession would be. There was even a small map to go with it. Trying to contain his blush of embarrassment Danny flipped the paper over onto it's back, having an idea of what would be printed on there.

"'You really should learn to plan for any possibility-' Oh eff you Clockwork," Danny viciously muttered before holding the map up to his eyes and aligning it with where he was floating, still invisible so he wasn't spotted by any news helicopters or vans. "Just because you can see the future doesn't mean you can act all...well...actually you can..." Sighing deeply the teen set off for the funeral hall, looking annoyed at both the situation and himself. "I don't even know what I'm saying anymore..."

x

Slowly looking around Danny hesitantly floated towards the ceiling before his eyes widened. He didn't think that many people would show up, especially kids from his school. The only people he really talked to where Sam, Tucker, and Valerie...and Dash when the elder tried to dunk his head down a toilet.

The teen shook his head of thoughts before glancing around again and spotting his parents, fear and paranoia automatically filling him. He guessed even if he had accepted his death he found himself full of fear at facing the people who had essentially killed him... They were even carrying their ecto-cannons!

Danny watched as one of the people commented on his very thoughts, Maddie explaining that because a ghost had killed their son they were hesitant to leave without them, in case anyone else should be targeted. At the explanation Danny snorted. "Because all ghosts are obviously going to come and try to kill the humans," the teen muttered before floating up towards the rafters and taking a seat.

The funeral hall was built like an older church more than anything else, complete with uncomfortable pews that looked painful to sit in. Looking around for a few more minutes Danny's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Well that couldn't be right...

"Where's Jazz at..." Slipping off his seat he flew quickly around the hall and side rooms, looking for his sister. While he did end up seeing a lot of familiar faces he didn't see Jazz, or Sam and Tucker for that matter either. "Guess they wouldn't come..." Danny muttered sadly while floating over the hall again. He supposed he had seen this coming. He knew Jazz wouldn't come no matter what and his friends had probably stayed behind to distract and comfort her.

Sparing one last blank look at the seat marked for his sister Danny shook his head before he flew up to the rafters, this time choosing to take a seat on the balcony instead. It took a few more minutes for the ceremony to start but when it did he found himself more amused than sad like he thought he would be.

"So...right...we're here to talk about Fentur- I mean Fenton! He was, uh...a good..._friend_ of mine..." If Danny had thought Dash speaking at his funeral would be horrible then he took it all back. This was _hilarious_. "We spent almost every day of school together...talking and...stuff..." Where was a camcorder when you needed one...

"Right, so, Danny was a dear close friend of mine...it _pains _me that I didn't get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked too..." Danny had to admit... Paulina's testimony was impressive. She really sounded like she missed him and the two had been close and dear friends.

Her acting lessons had been paying off.

Danny watched as more and more people testified. A few of them made him chuckle while most just made him angry. It was like all these people _thought _they knew him when really they didn't know a damn thing. There were a few though that made him tear up a bit, Valerie's and Lancer's in particular.

"While Daniel Fenton was one of my more quiet students he was still one of my best. Even when he was behind he always did his best to catch up, and some of his work was truly excellent... Even though he wasn't as studious as his sister was he still had a unique presence all his own...he is sure to be missed..." Danny would later deny any and all tears that had come from him.

"Danny was one of my friends, one of my _best _friends. Even though we didn't hang out as much as I would have liked he was still always fun to be around... He never should have died as young as he did...all because of that ghost..." At this Danny snorted to himself. He knew where this was going. Valerie was probably going to rant about the destruction of all ghosts and would have to be dragged away from the stand by her father. She was also probably going to blame herself for his death.

And people said he had a hero-complex...

Glancing down at his watch as Valerie's dad dragged back to her seat he was shocked to see that already an hour has passed. He wasn't sure if Clockwork was messing with him or not but it really felt like no time at all had passed... He certainly wouldn't put it past the ghost to speed up time.

Looking back over at the stand the teen's eyes widened when he saw his parents get up, ready to speak themselves. Almost against his will Danny automatically covered his ears and closed his eyes. He didn't want to hear what they had to say, he didn't even want to see them. He just wanted this thing to be over.

Maybe he shouldn't have come after all...

A moment later and Danny is suddenly very confused and on alert as his hood is over his head. It's not that it's so strange for it to be up but more of the fact that someone had pulled it over. Quirking an eyebrow at the lack of movement in the air, and the lack of ghost sense, Danny relaxed before glancing around and seeing that the funeral was pretty much over and that people were getting up to offer their apologies before leaving.

"Well...guess I better do what I came here to do..." Danny muttered before stretching and heading down towards the ground, double checking to make sure his invisibility was on. Clockwork wanted him to talk to his parents one last time then fine. He would talk to them one last time...just one more thing to say...

Goodbye.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Jumping from shock Danny couldn't help but let ecto-energy flow to his hands, just enough to blast something back before getting away. When nothing jumped out at him however he quirked a brow while looking over to where he had heard the screaming. "Phantom would NEVER kill someone! He's the town hero!"

The teen couldn't help but let out an amused snort at Paulina's fierce defending of Phantom, the kind of energy only a super phan could muster. The people who she was talking with seemed to be backing up a bit while at the same time trying to find a way out without getting mauled. Honestly that girl scared him more than any ghost could.

"Now where are those two..." Danny sighed before going back to floating over the people, some were leaving while others had stayed to mingle. It took a few minutes of scanning but he finally saw the two heading out towards one of the more secluded hallways of the Hall, which would be perfect for him.

Taking a deep breath the ghost flew over to the two wearily, hearing and seeing the two Fentons crying as he got closer. Maybe he shouldn't do this after all... After getting a bit closer he suddenly stops in mid-air and pales, mostly do to the large cannon Jack has strapped around his back.

Memories were a hard thing to face sometimes.

Not even taking a second to think Danny found himself zooming down the hall and landing behind the corner his parents were about to turn once they got further up. "Deep breathes Phantom...you can do this..." Danny muttered before finally dropping his invisibility and taking a deep breath.

He had gotten the basics of shapeshifting down when practicing with Amorpho and it was much harder than he thought it would be. It was about picturing the person you wanted to change into perfectly in your mind and then letting your powers change you. Danny had to admit that he had much more respect for the ghost after leaning from him.

Taking one more breath he relaxed his body as his transformation rings sprung up and wrapped around him. While his Guardian suit disappeared left behind was the outfit he had used to wear all the time back when he was fourteen. In fact...he looked exactly as he had right before he had gone into the portal.

Geeky and awkward teen Danny Fenton.

Sneaking a quick peek around the corner Danny saw the two approaching before he took a deep breath and backed up against the wall a little more. This plan was either going to go perfectly right or end up getting him hurt in more ways than more. With his experience the latter tended to happen to his plans more.

Stepping out into the center of the hall Danny watched as his parents rounded the corner, barely even paying attention to where they were going. Seeing that the two were staring at the ground Danny let out a sigh, knowing he was going to have to call them to get their attention. Call them one last time.

"Mom? Dad?"

For a few seconds the words had seemed to echo around the hall before two large cannons were charging up and aimed at the teen's face. Danny had to physically _force _himself to not panic and fly out of the building. Instead he just tentatively smiled while rubbing one of his arms out of nervous habit.

"Who the hell do you think you are...pretending to be our son at the his _funeral_," Jack demanded, eyes narrowed and looking fierce. Danny had to admit it had been more shocking to hear Jazz swear than his father. The good thing was that the two were too shocked to start yelling like they usually did when they suspected they saw a ghost.

"You know...you two never really did listen...did you...?" Danny asked quietly, mostly asking himself more than anything. He wasn't surprised anymore. They never listened...maybe when he and Jazz had been younger... Before their ghost studies had taken over everything. It was ironic really. When Danny was younger he had sworn to never get involved in his parents ghost obsessions.

Now look at him.

"Speak up spook! Who are you?!" Jack demanded again, still not yelling. Danny figured even he must have known the panic he would cause if the others saw him right now. He supposed that was one small mercy. Sighing softly Danny opened his mouth only to hesitate. What could he say really?

"I don't blame you guys." He decided on the truth. After three years of lies they deserved that much at least. "For anything that happened... The ghost portal, the hunting, the shooting... I don't blame you guys for any of it. You were only doing what you thought was right..." If he noticed Jack had gone silent or Maddie was starting to cry again he chose to ignore it.

"Who...who are you..." Maddie finally muttered, gun dropping a few inches as she struggled to keep her composure. Danny smiled sadly at her before feeling his shapeshift form waver and start to slip. Had it really been a few minutes already? Or was he just so nervous he had trouble keeping it up? "How do you know all of this...how... Who are you really?"

"I'm... Danny," the teen grinned, a grin he hadn't had in almost three years. It was his happy, relaxed one that showed nothing was wrong and everything was going to be alright. He supposed that finally telling the truth _was _a good way to get rid of all of his stress. "Just Danny. I'm seventeen-years-old and have terrible school grades. I wanted to be Astronaut, I love studying space, and for the past three years I've been hunting ghosts...

"Even though I didn't look the same while ghost-hunting it was still me the whole time... Just Danny. Clueless and awkward Danny trying to protect his home town from all the ghosts that had been coming through the portal... You know...it was really hard sometimes...but I wouldn't have changed any of it...

"I learned a lot of things!" Like who he really was and just how far he would go to protect those he cared for. "I made a lot of new friends..." Dora, Frostbite, Wulf, Johnny and Kitty, Andrew...Clockwork... "Not to mention I realized just how short life is...and how much you should enjoy it while you can...

"So to answer your question I'm Danny. Just Danny...and I just came to say that I forgive you two. For everything." At this Danny looked up to see that both his parents were crying and trying not to break-down in front of him, Maddie especially was looking close to collapsing.

Smiling contently for the first time in what felt like ages Danny felt his form start to slip again before he slowly let his invisibility take over him. It looked liked he was fading away. Well...no one said he couldn't be a _little _dramatic... Sam had been a good teacher after all.

"Bye."

As soon as the word was out his parents collapsed in the middle of the hallways, guns falling down at their side. Danny didn't stay to watch anymore since his contentment was now gone and his panic was coming back. Panic from everything that had happened over the last _three years_.

He'd already been changing back to Phantom by the time his eyes opened. He also saw he was somehow on the roof. "Roof...how..." Thinking back the teen can't help but wonder how he had got there. One second he's in the hall and the next he's on the roof... He teleported maybe?

That thought can't go much further before flashes of his death are racing across his vision again, phantom pain accompanying it. The teen is seriously contemplating just curling up into a ball and trying to knock himself unconscious before he feels a ghost aura behind him. No ghost sense, just an aura.

Peeking his head around Danny isn't too surprised to see Clockwork standing next to a blue swirling portal, small smile on his face that seemed to speak volumes more than Danny could ever explain. Not even thinking about it the teen launched himself into the elder's arms, who quickly caught him before holding him close.

It was time to go home...

* * *

Like a sucker punch to the gut that last line is...I know it had me tearing up. XD


	19. The Hanging Tree

If you have never followed one of my song links before now then please dear god follow this one. This song is what got me to write his chapter for you all. Two in one day? YOU'RE WELCOME! No seriously, you all are awesome and deserve this for me leaving you for so long. Also, a few things to get out of the way.

One, the new temporary cover image was done by my captain, Rhov-taichou. She has amazing writing so you should go read it! She's both Rhov and Wild Rhov on here. Go look her up, she's epic.

Two, Valek reviewed a month ago and said that he/she spent hours reading my story when they should have been studying for their law studies. I grinned so wide. They also asked for me to update around the second week of December to have something to look forward to during their finals. I have done so.

Thank the muses Valek, cause I forgot. They didn't. This double update is for you!

Now, go listen to the damn song and enjoy this awesome!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=uKrCE1aYz7o**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**x**

The ghost couldn't help but feel worried as he neared closer and closer to the lair he was flying too. It had been a week since Danny's funeral and he hadn't seen a glimpse of the boy or even heard from him since then. He knew going to one's own funeral wouldn't be an easy thing to do but he had hoped the teen might have taken it a bit better.

Heaving a sigh Andrew slightly smiled as he felt the Lookout's welcoming demeanor as the door opened of it's own accord, much like Vidya did for him. _Thanks Lookout...any idea where Danny is? _Instead of answering the Lookout just sent out a sad feeling before pointing towards the lower levels and then showing a picture of Clockwork. _Thank you, Lookout. _

Quickly phasing through the floors it didn't take long for Andrew to come across the room Clockwork was in, which happened to be the library. From the amount of books that had been scattered about it looked as if the ghost had been in there ever since he and Danny had gotten back.

The Guardian of Time himself was bent over one of the older and heavier books, looking worn-out and tired, while his staff was leaning against an armchair near one of the tables. It only took a few seconds for the older ghost to glance up at the younger before letting out a tight smile. The smile didn't stay long and soon Clockwork was picking up another book off the table as Andrew sighed.

"I suppose from that response that Danny is hiding up in the Observatory, then?" All he got was a nod out of Clockwork before the ghost closed the book he was holding and shelving it. He then went to go and pick up another. Andrew repressed a sigh as he looked around the library, even with all that was going on he had to admit...

This was a nice library...

"Danny's been up in his Observatory since we returned here on the day of his funeral," Clockwork sighed while closing his eyes for a few seconds and running a hand through his messy hair, as if he had been doing the same motion repeatedly. Andrew noticed that instead of the all-powerful Guardian of Time he had read about in his books he was instead looking at the worried father Clockwork who didn't know how to comfort his son.

"I guess the best we can do is wait..." Andrew muttered sadly before picking up one of the books Clockwork had sitting on one of the chairs. The table was already full of books, some opened, some closed, and some about ready to hit the floor. Those Andrew quickly adjusted before going back to the book he had picked up. "I guess his behavior isn't so unusual..." the ghost continued while flipping a few pages, not really seeing what he was reading.

He remembered when he had attended his own funeral, a bad choice on his part. He had been just as despondent as Danny when he had returned to the Ghost Zone, maybe even worse. He had a feeling people usually weren't meant to see what happened at their own funerals...it was far too depressing.

"What...is this..." Andrew muttered while flipping a few pages back and actually reading the pages this time. His brow furrowed as he realized that the book he was holding was about one of the Guardians. Looking back down at the table and chairs he noticed that all the books out were about one of the Guardians, a few of them about the Council of Twelve in general. "Clockwork...what are you trying to do here?"

"I'm trying to find something," Clockwork responded before frowning and snapping the book he was holding closed rather roughly. Looking up startled Andrew recognized the look that the elder was sporting. It was the same look he had when he had been _so close _to finding something only for it to be a dead end.

"Exactly what are you trying to find here Clockwork... Something about the Guardians?" Andrew asked while setting down the book he was holding and picking up another one, this one detailing the responsibilities of the twelve guardians and the things they protected. "Because if you're trying to find one thing in all of this you're going to be here a while..."

"I'm not even sure what I'm trying to find anymore..." Clockwork lowly muttered before leaning against one of the bookcases and holding his head in his hands. Sheer willpower was the only thing that kept him from sinking to the floor. No matter what he did everything seemed to be going wrong lately... He felt as useless as he had back when Clockwise...

Back when he had been left on his own.

"Are you trying to look for information about that beast?!" Suddenly it clicked. That's why Clockwork was so frantic to try and find something. "The one that Danny dreamed about?" He couldn't protect his son from his fears and sadness but he _could _try and protect him from everything else.

"Yes... No matter where I look though there's nothing about a beast or foe of the Guardians...there's hardly anything about the Guardians themselves! Their history especially gets scarce however right around the time they vanished..." Clockwork trailed off while frowning. Andrew frowned himself since it had sounded like Clockwork had been about to say more but had seemed to lose the words.

"Well not all of the Guardians disappeared...your mentor didn't, Clockwise? He was one of the Guardians...right?" Andrew hesitantly asked, he was growing more and more unsure since Clockwork just stared blankly at him for a few seconds before looking confused. If the situation wasn't so serious Andrew would have laughed at how the Time Master even tilted his head to the side like Danny did when he was lost on something.

"He...he was?" Clockwork hesitantly asked, trying to think back to when he had still lived with his mentor. Why couldn't he remember much about the ghost...it was all silly, superfluous things... Clockwise had never actually mentioned the Guardians, especially as Clockwork had gotten older. "Yes... Yes he was. He was the Guardian of Time before me...but..." Why couldn't he remember anything?

Andrew looked worried as he watched Clockwork trail off before his eyes slightly glazed over, as if he was trying to remember something from a long time ago. The book ghost only grew more worried when he saw the elder clutch his head in pain, as if he had just had a horrible migraine from nowhere.

"Clockwork?! Are you alright?" Andrew asked, setting his book down and walking over to see if he could help. Clockwork only waved him off before slowly opening his eyes and rubbing his head, looking only a little confused as he stared at the ghost in front of him.

"Yes...yes I'm fine... What were we discussing?" As soon as the question was out Andrew paled. He had heard words like those before, and they had been his words. Back when he had been explaining to Danny about his wings and he was trying to remember about the Guardians. About Umbra and when they had all disappeared.

"Clockwork...what if...what if this beast that Danny has been dreaming about wasn't a villain?" Andrew slowly asked, thoughts flying back and forth through his head. He barely noticed as Clockwork scowled and tried to hold his growl of frustration back.

"If he wasn't a foe of the Council than what the hell was the damn thing?!" Clockwork spat before grabbing his staff and clutching it out of frustration and worry. He had to have something to hold on to...something to remind him that he wasn't as powerless as he felt.

In front of him Andrew had barely noticed the elder's behavior, too lost in his own thoughts. It was impossible what he was thinking, it just didn't make sense! And yet...somehow it made it to where everything fit... It felt as if it was the last piece in a puzzle that had been so easy you hadn't been able to see it at first.

"What if he was a Guardian..."

x

Sighing softly Danny used the tip of his gloved finger to draw another pattern on the frosted windows. He had used his ice powers to frost the windows over a few days ago and had yet to stop drawing on them. The drawing helped him concentrate on something other than the turmoil in his mind.

Finishing his drawing he scowled before jumping up and moving to a different window. He had drawn it again... When he had first come up the Observatory and started drawing on the windows he had started by drawing Clockwork and Andrew and Jazz and everyone else he knew. Eventually though his drawings had started becoming scythes.

The Guardian of Protection's Scythe.

He had only seen the weapon one time and that was in Andrew's book, and that had been a lifetime ago. Even though he had only seen it once though it was all he could draw, he could even recall every detail of the scythe perfectly, like he had made the thing himself.

Floating towards the top of the windows, where there was only a light coating of frost, Danny looked over the Ghost Zone. From where his lair was he could see quite a few of the others lairs, he could also see the dark part of the Zone. The 'Dark Part', coined by Tucker, was the only part of the Ghost Zone they had yet to explore. Danny never let them go _near _the place.

When Sam had finally asked him why Danny said it was dark. Tucker snorted while Sam rolled her eyes. The teen admitted that while it had sounded stupid when he said it it was true. That part of the Zone was dark, in more ways than one.

"Maybe I should just go curl up in my bed and sleep for a few _years_," Danny muttered lowly before taking his hand off the window and turning away. He eyes didn't even leave the window before he felt a pull. Abruptly stopping Danny stayed completely still while opening all his senses and looking for what he had felt.

It hadn't been a physical pull, like when Sam pulled him down the street or Jazz pulled him towards the first-aid kit, but more of a inner pull... Like something was tugging on his very core... Not feeling anything Danny slowly lifted his wings and closed his eyes, relaxing his mind as best he could.

Not even seconds later and the red crystals started glowing, a dull red aura covering his usual blue one before he felt ghostly energy around him. He felt Clockwork downstairs, and noticed that Andrew had joined him. He even felt the auras of ghosts that were miles away. He couldn't feel what had tugged his core though... It hadn't felt like it was pulling him to harm him...it felt...

It felt like it was pulling him _towards _something.

Letting his wings droop again and closing off his mind Danny turned back around to face the Dark Part of the Zone before feeling the pull again. Whatever it was that wanted him it was coming from the unexplored area of the Zone. The one place he had never set tail in, and the one place he never did.

"Alright...time to find out what's going on..." Danny muttered as his eyes narrowed and he shot down the tunnel leading back to the main floor of the lair. He had never been one to leave thinsg alone, one of the reasons he had become part-ghost in the first place. Ghost Portal broken? Oh, I'll step inside and see what I can do!

That had been _so_ smart.

"Danny?" The teen's head snapped over to see that both Andrew and Clockwork were looking at him curiously, both had their arms full of books. If Danny hadn't been chasing mysterious pulls on his core he would have chuckled at how Clockwork was trying to balance both his pile of books and his staff. He was surprisingly good at it.

The teen was about to respond before he felt the odd pull again, this time much stronger than it had been before. It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach and took his breath away, which was why he was now trying to get his balance back as he shakily stood on the floor. He glanced over to see that Andrew was about to rush forward before being held back by Clockwork, who was looking at Danny with a calculating look on his face.

Danny's last thought was that it was going to be one of _those _days before his mind went blank. He didn't fall unconscious he just didn't...think. His mind was silent. Quiet. Peaceful.

Andrew watched in shock as Danny's eyes glazed over, a blue tint to them as he floated off the floor and headed towards the Lookout's entrance. Andrew saw the teen throw one last blank look back at them before he was suddenly gone and flying faster than the ghost's eyes could track.

"Why did you stop me?" Andrew asked, looking up at Clockwork over the rim of his glasses. The Time ghost just lightly smirked before setting his pile of books down on one of the tables and flying up the tunnel to the Observatory. Quirking a brow Andrew quickly set his books down and followed, shocked when he got to the top and landed on the Observatory floor.

All of the windows, which were most likely higher than eight feet, where _covered _in frosted drawings. It didn't take long for Andrew to figure out that Danny had most likely frosted the windows so he could draw on them but that _didn't _explain why he was looking at thousands of scythes, all drawn in different positions and sizes.

Seeing Clockwork looking out one of the windows Andrew slowly floated over, following the ghost's gaze to see that Danny was flying towards the darker part of the Zone, one that most ghosts never set foot in out of fear for what was in there. Looking confusedly up at Clockwork he saw the Guardian of Time was smiling while fingering his own Time Staff, the drawings finally clicking into place.

"He's gone to search for his self... After all...he isn't a Guardian yet..."

* * *

That moment when the muses DEMAND you write and then it turns out awesome. Proof that the muses have not abandoned me!


	20. Answers of the Past

****It's 12-12-12...how often are you gonna get to say that?! XD Anyways, I'm updating because Que had this HORRIBLE math final on truth tables, which I don't even know what those things are. So she deserved something to cheer her up. Ta-dah! We have now reached chapter 20! Awesome, right?

Oh yeah, any of you play world of warcraft? If you do not only do you know the song I'm linking but you also might realize that the castle Danny's in is based a lot off of Karazhan, which is a vanilla WoW raid! It's based off that a lot but you don't have to play the game to enjoy this chapter. So, enjoy!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=yZy9ziutmaA**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**x**

Danny couldn't hold back the yelp as he suddenly found himself running head-first into a stone wall. The teen blinked confusedly at the wall for a few seconds before floating a few feet back, rubbing his face from where it had slammed into the wall, at quite a fast speed too.

"Why do I always end up running into walls," Danny muttered under his breath before looking up to see that the wall was _big_. Bigger than any wall he had ever seen, or run into, before...and it was made of...stone? Okay. That thought didn't seem to want to enter his head. "Stone? Why the heck stone? Everything these days is made of bric- These days..."

Suddenly getting a bad feeling Danny turned around and darted a few feet away from the wall he had just run into. He only stopped once he was a good distance from the wall before turning back to get a better look at what he had just run into. It hadn't been a wall like he had first thought.

It had been a _castle_.

"Okay...running headfirst into a castle...made of ancient stone...that's weird...even for me," Danny spoke quietly, noticing the eerie silence for the first time while floating side to side to see that the castle was _very _large. Larger than anything he had ever seen before, even in the old photos of ancient castles that Sam had shown him before.

It took a few minutes for the weirdness to leave long enough to where he could look around more. While the castle itself took up more of the area there was a small place he saw where he could touch down, a large stone walkway that led up to the castle.

Slowly flying over it he was shocked to see that the ends of the walkway were _crumbling_, the floating rocks slowly moving in midair as they twisted and turned, like most of the Ghost Zone. Floating rocks. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder..." the teen sighed before rubbing the back of his head. It looked like he had landed in a storybook, or one of Sam and Tucker's video games...

Finally touching down on the stone Danny shifted his weight to his feet before he suddenly found that his legs _would not _take the weight. It was only a second later that he was sitting on the ground collapsed, legs underneath him. Looking down with confusion he was wondering just _why _he was now on the ground. He hadn't slipped on anything or lost his balance, or been knocked down as was the usual case. He had just...collapsed.

"Okay...the weirdness has increased...again." He couldn't help that the sigh he let out sounded so worn and tired, and so familiar. Trying to get up only to not even be able to move was also familiar. It was then that he realized he _couldn't move_. It wasn't that something was holding him down, as was often the case, it was just that he was _exhausted. _

He was used to being exhausted, he fought about ten ghosts a day, and that was on a _good_ day. Right now however it felt like he had been fighting non-stop since dawn, or had been flying for hours upon hours. Snorting at that thought Danny tried to move _any_ part of his body, only to realize that was futile too. _Everything _hurt.

"Jeez...how long have I been flying?!" Danny hissed, trying to move his arm again. Even his fingers were burning in pain by now. It took a few seconds of silence before what he had said registered. He had been flying. He had been flying and he hadn't _known _he had been flying. "I...have a really bad feeling about this..."

Slowly looking around he was shocked to see that it didn't even _look _like he was in the Ghost Zone. Instead of the usual green he had come to associate with all ghosts the only thing he saw was red...red and black. He had to admit that they were a lot creepier than the green he had grown so used to seeing over the years.

The castle itself was something he had never seen before, and he had been in just about every corner of the Ghost Zone, filling out their map. It was then that the situation fully hit him. He was in a place he didn't recognize and he had been flying for hours. The only place he could be flying for hours and not recognize at first sight was...

The Dark Part.

Suddenly jumping to his feet he felt his wings flare as he prepared for a fight. "Okay Phantom...let's review. You're in a place you've never seen in your _life _before. You flew all the way out here even though you don't actually _remember _flying...and... You heard a voice..." If Danny had been able to see himself he would have seen his eyes glaze over as he remembered the voice that had pulled on his core. A soft voice that he had barely been able to hear.

Shaking his head, hopefully shaking it clear of the weird, Danny eyed the castle in front of him once more. His body was burning in pain after flying for so long but he ignored it in favor of trying to figure out where he was. The castle was obviously someone's lair...and every lair had a ghost, even if that ghost wasn't around any more. He was also _almost _sure he was in the Ghost Zone...the red and black was throwing him off a bit.

Flying up into the air, and suppressing the whimper of pain that had wanted to get out, Danny trailed a hand over the castle wall, finally noticing something. It was old, like _really _old. It looked to be _older_ than even Pariah's castle. "This doesn't make any sense," Danny muttered under his breath, feeling more and more frustrated, "Pariah's keep is hundreds, thousands of years old! But...this place is...even older..."

Where was he...

"Okay Phantom...deep breaths. Just like Jazz taught you. It's going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine...just stay calm..." It was actually rather ironic. Every time he told himself to stay calm he just felt himself feel even more panicked. Shaking his head he frowned before going back down and landing on the walkway. He had to figure out what it was that called him here, and why.

Walking down the walkway, more slowly than he wanted, he couldn't help but notice that the only sound in the whole place was the dull echoing thud of his boots hitting the stone. Feeling a slight chill on the back of his neck he shivered before pulling his hood up, trying to block out as much of the cold as he could. It wasn't until he was standing in front of the door that he realized what he had done.

"Oh that can't be good..." the teen murmured before the giant stone doors groaned and creaked open of their own accord. Instead of feeling welcome Danny just felt like the castle was wanting to kill him. "Okay...okay...you're going into a giant stone castle that could be thousands of years old and you feel cold... Oh this is going to be a _great _day..." And if he put a little too much sarcasm in that sentence, well, it wasn't like anyone was going to find out. Besides, he _deserved _to be sarcastic in this situation.

He had felt _cold_. He had a freaking _ice_ core. He shouldn't be able to even _feel_ cold, at least, not like normal humans and ghosts. He knew when it was cold he just never felt it. At all. Ever. Taking a deep breath Danny slowly padded his way through the large stone archway, dust quieting his footsteps.

Looking around the large hallways and archways he wasn't too surprised to see the layer of dust that coated _everything_. Neither was he surprised to see the rusted suits of armor or the threadbare tapestries that were just staying together. The thing that _did _surprise him however was that the halls seemed as if they were...alive.

Like something was still living here.

"Creepy..." Danny hummed before before rubbing his arms to get some warmth in them, something he hadn't had to do in years. He was actually really glad he had Andrew's old cloak now, it was very warm. "Creepy creepy creepy, this place is _so _creepy..." And if he started to sound like Tucker well, it wasn't like the teen would ever find out.

This place freaked him out more than he cared to admit because even though it felt as if something was still living there there was _nothing_ moving. At all. There were no moths eating the tapestries or carpet, no rodents scurrying down the hall, ghostly or otherwise. There wasn't even a breeze to strir the dust up. It was just him and the still air.

"Okay...gotta be a turn somewhere..." the teen muttered while looking around. He had been walking down the same hall for almost ten minutes now and all he had seen were closed doors, the locks and handles rusted shut. He could have tried to phase through the doors but he had a feeling that wouldn't have worked in here.

Danny was about to just jump up and fly down the halls till he reached _something _until he saw another door, and this one was cracked open. Tilting his head to the side and mentally weighing the risks the ghost barely even stopped to think about it before he opened the door further, the creaking sounding louder than it should where he had been in the quiet for so long.

"Whoa..." He had expected to walk into another hallway or something, not a huge _library_. Although...it looked to be less of a library and more like a private study, even if the shelves _were _every inch of twelve feet tall, and all of them covered with shelved books. The room itself though, while tall, didn't look to be too big, about the size of the Fenton Works lab, and circular.

He was _almost _positive he hadn't been teleported into some weird video game.

Slowly walking around the room it looked like it had been abandoned for a _long_ time, if the five-inch coating of dust was anything to go by. All of the books seemed to look in good shape, even though they had to be well over a couple of thousand years old. He guessed ghostly books just lasted longer than the human ones.

"Andrew would certainly like it in here..." Danny chuckled at the thought. A study full of ghost books thousands of years old? Andrew would be trying not to pass out at all the knowledge in here. Counting out twelve shelves spaced around the room equally Danny floated up to the seventh one from the door, going clockwise, before grabbing a random book off the middle. He wasn't sure why the seventh bookcase or the random book, he just knew he had to.

"The Guardian of Fate..." Danny murmured softly before flipping through the next few pages. "Must be one of the other twelve guardians..." He knew the names of some of them thanks to Clockwork. Time, Protection, Life, Death, Dreams, things like that. Fate though? That one sounded pretty serious...and it seemed to carry far more meaning than it should.

Scrunching his eyebrows together he frowned as he stopped at one of the pages. It looked like there were words missing. It didn't _look _like there was anything wrong really but the book read as if there were whole paragraphs that had been taken out, sometimes even whole pages. Flipping through the last few pages he's startled when he starts reading about a war. Something that had involved all of the Guardians.

"What..." The book ended. Right in the middle of a sentence the book _ended_. Running a finger down the crease between the last page and the back cover he felt something...off. Something weird that shouldn't be there. Looking at the book closer, and squinting to try and see better, he was shocked to see that there were pages that had been _ripped out_.

Andrew would have had a fit.

"Wait a minute..." Danny traced the jagged edges left behind of the missing pages. They were far back, as if someone hadn't wanted anyone else to know that there were pages missing, or somehow even_ words _missing. "Why would things be missing..." Re-reading the last page about the war he was shocked to see that the words disappeared right around the point when it was explaining what the war had been _about_. It was as if the words had been...taken.

Looking back at the bookcase he had gotten the book from he darted up, this time taking a book off the very top of the shelf. Quickly flicking it open, while still hovering in the air, he saw that this one too was about the Guardian of Fate, although this one detailed his duties.

Reading the pages quickly, while still trying to actually _read _them, he was shocked to see that there were things missing as well. Paragraphs that seemed to trail off and not make any sense, whole _sections_ missing that should have been there, and even more ripped out pages. Although he had to admit, he wouldn't have noticed if he didn't look very carefully at the ripped and jagged edges that were hid so well.

"Someone, or _thing_, was trying to hide something...but what..." Danny muttered before floating down and placing the book he was holding on top of the first one he had been holding. Wondering why there were _twelve _bookshelves Danny looked around the room. All of them were in circular row, the two books he had picked up, both about the Guardian of Fate, had been on the same bookcase. "I wonder if..."

Floating up to the fifth bookcase he took out a book, flipping through a few pages to see it was about the Guardian of Life. "Life...the fifth bookcase... I wonder if..." Still keeping his hold on the book Danny went from bookcase one through twelve, going clockwise, just glancing at a few of the books.

"Destiny...Space. Dreams. Light. Life. _Protection..._" Here Danny only stopped for a moment before continuing on his way. "Fate. Time..." Again he had to force himself to keep going, although he _really _wanted to look. "Weather. Dark. Death. Knowledge... Twelve bookcases. Twelve Guardians..."

Feeling something was off Danny opened the book he was holding before quickly flipping through it again, this time looking for something in particular. As he reached the end, where it started talking about the war, he found what he was looking for. "I knew it..."

The last few pages were missing.

"So someone really was trying to hide something...but what were they hiding..." Danny whispered before setting the book down next to the first two and flying up to another bookshelf, this one being the one about knowledge. He couldn't help but chuckle and think that Andrew would have been the perfect Guardian for that. He also noticed that the books about the Guardian of Knowledge were a lot thicker.

Quickly reading through the page he wasn't surprised when he saw pages were missing from this one too, including the ending ones. Biting the inside of his cheek, and being careful of his new fangs, he wondered just what was going on. Who would go so far to hide information about a war?

Quickly picking up the largest book off the Knowledge shelf he flicked through it, hoping to find more information on _something_. Seeing what he was looking for he both grinned and scowled. He wasn't surprised that the Guardian of Knowledge had kept books about the details of the Council, and their main purpose. He was surprised however to find that even those pages were missing.

"Pages about the Council of Twelve and their main job...pages about a war taken place...and something about the Guardian of Fate... Why would _these _pages go missing," Danny sighed before going back to the table he had placed the other books and setting the one he was holding down. "A war... _The_ war...what if that was what made all the Guardians disappear..." Danny murmured before closing the book, the dull thud echoing throughout the whole room.

Turning around to go back out the doors and maybe try to find something else in this castle he was shocked to see that he wasn't actually _in _the study anymore. He was standing instead in the middle of a large, pristine room that looked like something about of a fairy tale.

Spinning around the room slowly and looking around he noticed that it still _looked _like the same old study...well...a little. Twelve bookcases lined the circular room but instead of inches of dust coating everything the room seemed to almost be _sparkling. _The room, the books, even the floor...all of it looked as if it had just been made. He even slipped on the polished floors!

Looking down to see that he was indeed standing on a marble surface, or something similar to it, he was shocked to see that there was a large drawing on the floor. No...not a drawing...more like something that had been _built _into the floor. It was a large circle filled with twelve smaller circles, all filled with a different picture.

Bending down to run a hand over one he noticed that the circles all matched up with the bookcases, and the one he was looking at looked a lot like his wings did. It was even matched up to the bookshelf on the Protection Guardian! Standing up again Danny slowly backed away. "Okay...this is getting weird..."

Wondering just what the hell was going on Danny jumped into the air and darted to the door. Maybe something out there would help him figure out what was going on. His plan was quickly stopped however when he had to quickly back up to avoid the suddenly open doors, which had seemed to be pushed open with quite some force.

Blinking in shock he watched as two arguing ghosts entered the room, both scowling and yelling at each other. One was male and looked to be near his thirties while the other was a girl who looked to be around his age, maybe a few years older. She was also clutching a...a spear? A lance? It was pretty hard to tell what it was actually. All he knew was that it was gold, shiny, and sharp.

Really that was all he needed to know.

Seeing the ghosts start walking towards him Danny figured he had better come up with an excuse, and fast too. "Oh, um, see here's the thing. I'm sorry I'm here and all but I entered this library-study room place in this castle, and really I'm not sure if I'm even-" Danny didn't even finish his explanation before he cut himself off, too stunned to continue. Mostly due to the fact that the man who had pushed the doors open had walked _through_ him. He hadn't phased or anything it was just like Danny...wasn't there.

It was like he was a...well...a ghost. Not like the ones he had come to know either but like a ghost from all the stories he had heard as a little kid. The ghosts no one could see or hear. Quickly stepping out of the way before the girl could walk through him, because that hadn't been pleasant at all, he watched as the two walked towards the table he had been using not too long ago.

Just what was going on? It didn't even look like he was in the same _castle _anymore and now he couldn't be seen or heard by anyone, not even the ghosts! It was like he had been transported into another person's dream and forced to watch what was going on! Well...it was either a dream...

Or a memory.

Following the two slowly he watched as the man moved a few things around on the desk before the girl suddenly sighed roughly and started yelling at him again, although Danny was having a hard time making out what she was saying since she was talking so fast. He watched the man get more and more annoyed before he finally snapped.

"_Enough_!" Even though the yell wasn't actually directed at him it still made Danny back up a few feet in shock at the pure _power_ that seemed to have come from him in that one second. Glancing sideways at the girl he saw that she had gone quiet too, although she was still glaring at the man in front of them. "Why are you even trying to discuss this matter still? There is nothing there! You are merely imaging things, as usual!"

"I am _not _imaging things! There is something _wrong _with Alvarro! He is cold, more distant than ever before. I know he was never very talkative to begin with but now he no longer talks to anyone, not even me! He stays in his tower all day, never leaving. He almost turned his animals on me last time I visited! Something is _wrong_." At this the point the girl was sounding desperate to make the man believe her.

"Alvarro was always distant towards the rest of us, you knew that. He doesn't talk or interact much, and you probably annoyed him one too many times and he finally got fed up with you!" the man argued back before rolling his eyes and adding in an undertone, "I know _I _get fed up with you daily."

"HE MADE HIS ANIMALS ATTACK ME! HOW IS THAT NORMAL?!" the girl screamed, Danny slightly wincing at the volume while the man in front of them just stood his ground. Even with the screaming Danny was still having trouble concentrating on what the two were saying. He was trying to figure out just _where_ he had heard those voices before. They sounded so familiar to him yet he was _positive _he had never seen the two ghosts in his life before. Undead or otherwise.

"To be honest if I had a hoard of animals to do my bidding I would be making them attack you too," the man replied back, nonplussed by the girl's yelling. Even though Danny was only half listening he had a feeling that the girl was about to snap, and soon.

"_Umbra_!" As the name was screamed Danny felt his mind go blank. He knew it shouldn't be possible yet... The image of the former Guardian of Protection from Andrew's book floated through his mind. Umbra... The first Guardian of Protection. The one that had been gone for _ten thousand years_. Looking between the two Danny realized that he really shouldn't be here. He was still in the caste he was just _in a different time_.

Where was Clockwork when you needed him...

"_Enough_. There is nothing wrong with Alvarro. We all get tired and worn while doing our duties. He is most likely short with everyone these days. He will return to normal, like-"

"Dammit Umbra!" the girl interrupted, looking angry. It also looked like she was about to use that spear/lance of hers to stab something, and soon. "This is not like the other times! There is...there is _something_ wrong with him... And I _will_ be bringing it up at the next meeting." Umbra did nothing more than to meet her glare with one of his own. Danny was starting to wonder who would give in first before the girl huffed and turned away.

Heading towards the door the girl glanced back once more time, gripping her weapon in anger. "I should know when my own partner is acting unwell, Umbra." Danny watched as the girl slammed the doors closed behind her, rather loudly. Wincing at the echo the teen looked back over at Umbra, who was now quickly collapsing in one of the nearest chairs. Danny couldn't help the sympathetic wince as the man let out a tired and rough-sounding groan.

"Honestly...that girl is too stubborn for her own good..." the Guardian faintly muttered before rubbing his forehead with one hand and leaning back. Danny edge a bit closer as he watched the ghost sit up and narrow his eyes before heading over to his own shelf and picking up one of the books at the very top. It was a thick red one, and Danny had a feeling it wasn't a simply history book.

It was in the dead center of the shelf as Umbra picked it up and flew back to the table, setting it down and opening it to the very back of the book, flipping through the pages quickly while scanning the words. Danny edged closer, forgetting for a second that he couldn't be seen or head, at least, not by Umbra or that girl.

It took a few more minutes of flicking through pages but when Umbra stopped he let out a low-sounding growl, the pure hate in the voice making Danny back up in shock. "Those damn demons... Yet again they seek to _control_ the Guardians! And now they are targeting Alvarro..."

The teen noticed that the more Umbra spoke the more and more angry he was looking. He actually looked, and sounded, a lot like Jazz had back when he had told her about the bullies that had been targeting him at his school, before they had suddenly stopped.

Pissed.

Edging forward one more time Danny managed to make out a few of the words on the page, although they didn't really make any sense. "...known to most as the _Controllers_ they are thought to be-" The teen didn't even have time to finish reading the sentence before the book was snapped close and he was backing up, startled. Danny looked back up to Umbra to see that he was looking troubled and worn.

"It seems we are all in for some difficult times..."

"Okay. Just what is going on here?!" Danny snapped before he blinked and found himself standing in the middle of the dusty and rotted library he had first walked into. Scowling the teen couldn't help but childishly stomping his foot before coughing at the sudden storm of dust surrounding him. Glaring at the floor he was shocked to see a faint outline of something.

Bending down and gently pushing the dust away he was shocked to see that he was standing in the middle of the large circle that filled the room, the small circles inside lining up to the Guardian bookcases. "The Seal...of the Guardians..." Shaking his head and wondering just where the hell that had come from Danny darted up before going back over to the Protection shelf, flying to the top and tracing the line of books until he reached the middle.

He wasn't very surprised when he felt nothing but empty air. Eyes narrowed Danny backed up in the air, looking around the room and then back down at the _seal_. "There might be more going on here than me and Clockwork first thought..." the teen muttered before suddenly going still. He felt the tug on his core again, and this time it was urgent.

Not even giving it a second thought he was zooming out the doors and down the hallways, taking turns left and right as he followed the pull on his core. He might not have known what was going on or what was pulling him forward but he _was_ going to find out what had brought him here, and he was going to find out _now_.

Flying even faster Danny found his eyes widening as he entered what looked like a large ballroom that had probably been very immaculate at one time. Looking ahead again he barely had any time to stop at the tall figure blocking his path, of course when he did mange to stop he almost skidded in his tracks as his hood fell off from the sudden movement.

Backing up again he was about to apologize for almost running over whoever was in his way before he saw just _who _was in his way. The spike of terror that went through him seemed to come from his very core as he tried to back up, only to find he was frozen in place. He was pretty sure that it had _nothing_ to do with his ice powers either.

"Well well...how's it been Danny-boy... Been awhile now...hasn't it?"

* * *

Me and Que read minds. And both our minds agree that we love Cliffhangers. XD *cackles* Seeya next time!


	21. What It's Like

****So a lot of you guys didn't like the cliffhanger I gave you, I'm sorry about that. Also sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I have a life too and all. So, Happy Christmas! I'll try to get next chapter up in a few days. Oh yeah, and Happy (late) B-Day Que! And hey, we SURVIVED THE END OF THE WORLD!

God that's a lot of notes... Here's your song and, oh yeah...I'm a jerk. XD

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=vPoEA43cqKc**

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**Chapter 21**

**x**

"Jazz...what's wrong?" Instead of giving an answer like she usually would Jazz merely clutched her stack of books tighter to her chest. Behind her the two girls who had run into her back circled around to stand in front, both of them sharing a puzzled look. "Jazz? You alright there?"

"Maybe she just remembered she forget something!" The girl who had first spoken looked over at the girl standing beside her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes Elsie, because that makes _so_ much sense. She _remembered _that she _forgot_." Elsie frowned before looking down at the tiled floor abashedly. She suppose it _had _been a little confusing.

"Yeah, well I don't see you coming up with anything, Brit," the girl bit back while outright glaring, Brit returning the glare with one of her own. When the glare kept going and didn't stop both of them looked up in shock over at Jazz. Usually by now she was breaking up their fight and sprouting off some of her _let's-talk-it-out _philosophy.

"Hello? Jazz? Anyone up there?" Brit sarcastically asks while tapping on the redhead's forehead with her knuckles. It takes a few seconds of tapping before Jazz finally blinks and looks between the two in confusion.

"What? Is something wrong?" Both Brit and Elise share a confused and worried look. Jazz knew _everything_. For her to be confused usually meant something was _very _wrong.

"I'm pretty sure we should be asking you that..." Elsie murmurs while shifting her pile of books to one arm and placing the back of her hand to Jazz's forehead. "Are you getting a fever? Sick, perhaps?"

"What? No. I'm...fine..." At this Jazz tails off, looking troubled again. This time though she was shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, as if she was ready to run away. And quickly.

Elsie and Brit share a look again before glancing back at Jazz.

"Jazz...just what is up with you?" Brit asks, starting to look worried. Jazz was the composed one. She was the one who solved problems and always knew the right answer...she didn't act like, well, them.

"Something's wrong..." Jazz mutters softly, almost too soft for the two girls to hear. Once they're able to understand what was said however Elsie snorts while Brit rolls her eyes.

"Jazz, hun, this is _college_. There is _always _something wrong around here," Elsie grins before watching Jazz shake her head again, this time frantically.

"No no, you guys don't get it. Something is _wrong_. Something serious..."

"Is there another one of your intuition things?" Brit asks while looking slightly curious. Jazz usually had a good idea of when something was wrong, and her intuition was almost always spot on.

"Yeah but what could possible be this serious?" Elsie speaks up, tilting her head to the side in slight confusion. Sure they had seen Jazz worried and serious but this Jazz was almost _frantic_. It was like she just found out her family had been kidnapped or something! "I mean, Jazz, you look as if you've seen a ghost!"

Both girls start backing up in shock when Jazz's books tumble from her arms, scattering across the floor.

"Jazz! What's wrong?!" Brit hurriedly asks while standing in front of Jazz and shaking her by the shoulders. Elsie was being more constructive by picking up Jazz's scattered books, which were actually really heavy. "Jazz? Hello? JAZZ?!"

"Something's wrong with Danny..." Brit and Elsie share a look again while the two look both confused and worried. "Guys! He's in trouble!"

"Jazz...do you mean Danny your _brother_?" Elsie slowly asks, Jazz not even paying attention to the girl's words while Brit just looks even more confused.

"Danny? That Danny? But isn't he...well...you know- Jazz?! Jazz! Where are you going?!" The two girls could do nothing but watch in shock as Jazz ran past them, skidding down the next hallway turn and heading towards the front entrance. "Did she just..."

"Run away and cut school?" Elsie finishes the question while Brit nods, both staring at the place where Jazz had vanished. "Yeah, I think she did."

"What the hell was that all about?!"

Jazz barely even hears the scream as she keeps running, digging her cell phone out of her pocket as she does so. Something was wrong. What's more was that something was wrong with _Danny_. He was in trouble and she was gonna find out what was going on, even if she had to tear apart the Ghost Zone for answers!

X

"So let me get this straight. Danny's in trouble because you had a _feeling_ and now you want us to cut school and go into the Ghost Zone to look for him? Are you insane?!" Far be it for Sam to be the voice of reason but this was just crazy. Tucker rolls his eyes at what Sam had said into the phone while looking back through the janitor's closet door, which was cracked open. Thanks to Danny's ghost career they knew every hiding spot in the school.

"_Yes, is that so hard to understand?! Danny's life could be in danger!_" Sam could practically _hear_ Jazz's eye roll through the phone connection. After giving her own eye roll Sam snorts and readjusts the phone she's holding.

"A little too late for _that_." Instead of hearing an exasperated Jazz she just hears silence. She then looks over to Tucker, who's giving her a look that's half-amused and half-reproaching. "Too soon?"

"A little," Tucker smirks while leaning against the wall, the hallways clear for now. "Exactly what is going on anyways? Jazz cutting school?" Even in the boy's head that sounded weird. Sure him and Sam and Danny used to cut school all the time, ghost fighting and all that, but Jazz? That thought just...it seemed so wrong.

"Jazz thinks Danny's in trouble-"

"_I DON'T THINK I _KNOW_! I _KNOW_ HE'S IN TROUBLE!" _Sam winces at the loud voice that was screaming in her ear while Tucker lets out a low whistle. He had forgotten just how high Jazz's voice could go when she was frantic about something.

"Okay then...what exactly is Danny in trouble _from_?" Tucker asks, Sam putting the phone on speaker as he did so. They both wait for a few seconds only to hear nothing but silence. Sam snorts again while Tucker lets out a low sigh. It seemed that all Fentons were crazy, no matter how the younger ones tried to deny it.

Sam is about to ask Jazz if she was going crazy before the speaker squeals from static feedback, both teens covering their ears in shock as the phone tumbles onto the large box Sam was sitting on. Less than a second later and they hear a loud roaring sound that could only come from one thing. Tucker starts looking worried while Sam just raises an eyebrow at the phone.

"Jazz...what are you doing?" Tucker was impressed by how calm Sam's voice sounded as they both rubbed their still pounding ears.

"_Starting up the Specter Speeder._" If Tucker thought Sam was calm then Jazz was a freaking zen master. She sounded as if she was doing nothing more than reciting a math problem! While Tucker gaped from his spot against the wall Sam nods and picks the phone back up from where she had dropped it on top of a large crate, turning the speaker off as she did so.

"So let me get this right. You skipped your classes, broke into the lab, stole the Speeder, and now want _us _to skip school to check on Danny all because of a _feeling_?"

"_That seems to be the basics, yes. So are you two coming with?"_ Sam glances up and shares a look with Tucker before grinning and standing up, picking her bag up as she did so.

"Give us five minutes to get there." Snapping the phone shut Sam slipped it into her spider backpack and walked out the door, not even bothering to check if the halls were clear first. Tucker merely rolls his eyes before following, slightly running to catch up to the goth girl.

"So we're going to check on Danny then?" Tucker asks, earning a sigh from Sam as they turn down the hall towards the front entrance.

"Looks like it."

"You know..." Tucker grins while pushing his glasses up, "Jazz acts a lot more like Danny's mom than his sister." At this Sam scoffs and rolls hers eyes.

"Tucker, everyone but those two know that, even the ghosts."

"Well, they're definitely related then," Tucker grins, Sam throwing him a questioning glance before the boy continues, "They're both clueless." At this Sam chuckles as they pass three roaming teachers before going out the front door and down the steps. They weren't surprised that the teachers didn't even bother to stop them anymore.

They had given up by the time the trio had turned fifteen.

* * *

Oh come on, we have heard from those three in a while! We needed to see what was going on! *cackles*


	22. Chasing A Legend

****Take your freaking two-in-one update chapter and let me sleep! The only reason this is being posted right now is because Que scares me...her and her army of smiles were going to haunt my nightmares unless I up this up. So hear. The present tense may shift to the past and the end may suck but I'm tired! Give me a break!

*coughs* Okay. Ranting is done. Enjoy.

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=Fl4qszQb7VU**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**x**

"_Been awhile now...hasn't it?" _Danny couldn't even _breathe_ as he stared at the ghost that was standing cockily in front of him. He was pretty sure all speech and thought had been cut off as well. The only thing left was feeling, and that was pure and utter panic. "What? Not even a response? Come on Danny-boy, at least make this _interesting_..."

Danny gasps before jumping into the air and to the side, dodging the blood-red ecto-beam that had just barely missed him. The ecto-beam that he had just recently seen in one of his nightmares. Looking back at the grinning ghost he does his best to keep his glare up and not whimper and run like he so wanted to.

"Dan."

It was impossible. Dan was locked up, sealed away in the Fenton Thermos in the Clocktower. There was no way for him to be staring at Danny right now but...here he was, more ecto-energy flowing into his hands. Danny instinctively dodged the ecto-blast, eyes narrowing as he realized the ghost was doing nothing more than toying with him, like a cat does with a mouse.

"What? Not even a witty comeback?" Dan sarcastically asks, throwing another blast before following the teen up into the air, the elder looking relaxed. "Come on Danny-boy, give me something to work with here! Oh I know...how about we talk about the fact that you look like _me_ now more than ever..."

"I will _never_ be you," Danny growls as his wings flare behind him in annoyance and fear. Dan should not be here. He should be locked up...so why was he now facing down his worst nightmare? The nightmare that kept him up and still haunted his dreams even after the three years it had been since that fight. The thing that scared him more than anything...

Himself.

"Come on kid...that's the best comeback you got? I thought you were all about witty? We always did love beating the ghosts with witty sayings more than anything..." As soon as the word we was spoken Danny feels his ecto-energy spike, blue energy flowing into his hands and flaring with his anger.

"There is no _we_. I am _not _you, and I never will be," Danny growls, feeling his fear start to ebb away in favor of his anger and need to get Dan locked up. This was one of the few times he was glad for his so-called hero-complex. "I don't know what you're planning Dan but you're _not_ getting away with it!" Danny shouts, throwing his own ecto-blast at Dan, who quickly throws up a shield to absorb it before grinning.

Ugh, it was the creepy Vlad grin too, the one that showed Danny was playing right into his hands. "Planning? I'm not planning anything... After all, I already have a plan," Dan grins before disappearing. Danny tenses up before feeling a large blast hit him from behind which knocks him to the floor. "Destroy _everything_."

At hearing this Danny jumps up, darting high into the air before throwing rapid blasts at Dan, a few of which hit and cause him to growl up at the teen. "I will _not _let you hurt anyone Dan! Not the humans or the ghosts!" Still yelling Danny dives towards Dan, who backs up in surprise before Danny quickly swerves around him and twirls in midair, blasting him from behind like the elder had done to him.

"In case you haven't heard I was pretty much promoted," Danny grins, eyes swirling into an icy blue as he tapped into his ice core, which seemed to be much easier than it had been before, "Guardian of Protection and all. As such it is my job, and pleasure, to beat you!"

Dan laughs as he puts more power into the shield in front of him, the one Danny was currently trying to freeze over with his ice powers. "So I see...aren't you wondering how I even got here though?" At this Danny couldn't help but pause before he put more power into his hands.

"Doesn't matter how you got here, all that matters is that I'm putting you back," Danny growls, watching as the shield starts to ice over before cracking. Cursing Dan pushes the shield, and Danny, outwards. The teen manages to catch his balance in the air before getting ready to zoom back towards Dan only to...stop...

"You really haven't figured it out?" Dan grins before chuckling and then full-out laughing. "Can you really be _that _clueless Danny-boy?! How the hell do you think I got out?"

"How the heck should I know?!" Danny frowns before feeling himself hesitate, as if there was something he should know by now. How _did_ Dan manage to escape? For heaven's sake _Clockwork_ was the one who guarded him! He would have seen if Dan had gotten out, heck, he would have seen it before Dan had even _thought _of it. So how on-

Clockwork would have _seen_ it...

"Ah...now you're starting to get it..." Dan grins, seeing Danny's stricken expression. The only way Dan could have found Danny was if he had beaten Clockwork, and that was impossible unless...unless Clockwork was unable to see the future. Like he was now. "The _Master of All Time_ is actually pretty weak when he can't even see time..."

Dan grins even wider when he sees Danny's head droop and the boy float a few inches down. He's confused however when he hears the boy mutter something that he can't quite make out. "You're muttering Danny-boy, surely you haven't even forgotten how to speak?"

"I said...you're lying," Danny mutters, voice barely above a whisper as he looks up, eyes glowing a deep and dark red. Dan frowns as he tenses and calls forth his ecto-energy. "You're lying...there's no way Clockwork would lose to you... You're lying!"

"How cute...you're in denial..." Dan grins while darting forward and blasting Danny back towards the wall. Danny groans as his back slams into the wall before he suddenly finds himself crashing into the floor with enough force to actually leave an imprint. "Believe it Danny-boy. Last I saw your time-ghost was lying in a puddle of his own blood, or whatever it is ghosts have that keep them alive, in lack of a better term."

"You're lying..." Danny mutters, looking back up at Dan with a glare that caused the elder ghost to raise an eyebrow in question. The glare wasn't so surprising, it was the fact that it held much more hate than a _hero_ should have. "You're...you're lying! You're lying!" At this Danny darts into the air and tackles Dan to the ground. He manages a punch to the face before he's blasted back off and onto the ground.

"Feeling angry Danny-boy? Do you hate me?" Dan chuckles, looking amused as Danny sways to his feet and looks back up at the ghost, light blue aura changing into a fierce red one. "Let's see...red aura. Red eyes. Fangs. Grey skin tone. Cape. Burning hatred towards something...what was that about not becoming-" Dan's taunt was cut off as a blast of pure-red energy, much like his own, slams into him and forces him to slide backwards a few inches.

"You're lying you're lying you're lying. YOU'RE LYING! CLOCKWORK WOULD NEVER BE DEFEATED BY YOU!" Danny screams before charging forward, Dan not even blinking as he batted the teen away with a timely shield. Anger was powerful...but it was also damning in a fight. "YOU'RE LYING! _YOU'RE LYING! __**YOU'RE LYING!**_"

As Danny's screams echoed Dan curses, realizing what the boy was doing. Quickly forming a shield Dan grits his teeth as the powerful red sound waves smash into him, knocking him back into the wall before the attack is gone just as fast as it came. Dan raises an eyebrow before flying over to stand in front of Danny, who was on the floor and gasping for breath.

"Well well...anger truly is a two-edged sword, huh, Danny-boy?" Dan growls as he picks Danny up by the boy's throat. The teen doesn't even struggle as he's lifted off the ground, eyes staring lifelessly at the elder ghost grinning in front of him. "What's the matter? Was that all the fight you had? If so I can see why you became full ghost...you were shot weren't you?" At the words Danny feels himself tense up, as if expecting to be shot at. "I see you still remember...now who was it that shot you...

"I know it wasn't Valerie, that girl never could get a good shot on us... And Jazz would never even _dream_ of hurting her precious little brother, never mind the fact that she couldn't hit the broad side of Vlad's castle. It couldn't have been one of your friends...they're too weak to really leave any marks... The Guys in White maybe? No? Well...maybe it was another ghost hunter?" Dan grins as he feels Danny tense again. Looking at the boy he can't help but chuckle as he sees tears streaming down the boy's face.

"Aw...what's the matter Danny-boy? Sad? But from what? The fact that your parents didn't accept you? That they killed you? Maybe you're sad because you're dead...or perhaps it's due to me killing that pathetic time-ghost..." Dan grins as he throws Danny back towards the ground, firing off an ecto-blast that leaves Danny sliding across the floor and landing in a hazardous pile of limbs.

"How's it feel to be a ghost? How's it feel to be dead? Well...on the bright side you finally fit in now," Dan laughs as each word is accompanied by either an ecto-blast or a punch. Danny can hardly even move his body is so sore. What would be the point of moving anyways? "Face it Danny-boy, everything you've ever done is _pointless_. Fighting the ghosts? All you did was get hurt! Keeping secrets? Isn't that what finally killed you in the end? Trusting your parents? Look how that ended... You're pathetic..." Dan was right.

It was all pointless.

"So I was wondering Danny-boy..." Dan mutters before throwing his largest attack yet at the teen. Danny didn't even have the strength to groan as he skid across the floor, finally coming to a stop somewhere in the center. He hurt. He hurt _everywhere_. "What happens...when a ghost dies..."

Danny feels his blood go cold.

No no no no no no no NO! He didn't want to die! Not again! Danny feels his breath go more and more out of control as the thoughts race through his head. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to face death again. Dammit! He was sick of dying! First he became half-ghost, then full-ghost, and now...**HE DIDN'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!**

"Let's find out... Who knows. Maybe soon your friends will join you... If you can die who's to say the other ghosts can't, including that little bookworm friend of yours." Danny feels his breath just...stop. Not out of fear though... How had Dan known Andrew was his friend? Danny didn't start talking to Andrew until almost a year _after _Dan had been locked up. There was no way he could have known.

For that matter how did he even know how his parents killed him? Or that Clockwork hadn't been able to see the future or time lines? How did he know all of these things? There was no way unless...unless...

"You're not real..."

Just as the words were out Danny's eyes widen as he stares down the large ecto-blast that was now firing straight at him. He knew if he got hit by that then he wasn't going to be seeing his family or friends again. He wouldn't be seeing none of them. Not Jazz, Sam, Tucker, Andrew, or Clockwork. Yeah, Danny _knew _he was alive. Clockwork wouldn't let Dan beat him, even _with _his time powers not working.

As the blast got closer Danny's eyes narrowed. He would _not _let his family be left alone to face all of these assholes on their own. Leave them behind to face the ghosts that could be even bigger jerks than Dan? And ones just as dangerous?

As if.

Even though Danny knows that ecto-blast is going to hit him before he gets out of the way he still has to move. He still has to try and get away. As the blast is inches from his face time seems to just...stop. As if the blast wasn't even moving. Not even wasting a second to think about it Danny jumps up and dodges the blast, hands filling with blue ecto-blasts that he rapidly fires at Dan.

The elder is shocked as he's blasted backwards, arms thrown up to ward off the blasts before he looks up, angry and confused. How the hell had the brat dodged that?! It was like one second he was there and the next he was in the air and firing, and there was no way the kid had enough energy to teleport!

"You're not real," Danny chuckles, grinning as the red aura that had been wrapped around him started to fade in favor of his usual light blue one. "There's no way you're real. You're just...an illusion..." Danny grins even wider before his wings fan out behind him and his hands case themselves in his ecto-talon gloves. "I can beat you. I beat you once and I can beat you again. _Especially _if you're not real!"

Danny lunges towards Dan and manages to get a swipe on him before the elder blasts him backwards, Danny managing to form a wing shield to take most of the blast.

"I may not be the real Dan but I am far more than an illusion Danny-boy," Dan grins while shifting into a stance that Danny knew all to well. Paling Danny drops his talons and brings up another wing shield, trying to make it as strong as he can before he's suddenly blasted back by the green ecto-waves of the Ghostly Wail.

Danny crashes into the wall and slides down a few inches before managing to stabilize himself in the air. Damn...he forgot just how much it hurt to be blasted by that thing. Now he knew why the other ghosts hate the thing so much. Danny shakes his hair free of derbies and dust before turning back to glare at Dan, the teen's aura growing even wilder.

"I'm just as strong as the Dan you know," the elder explains while walking forward and grinning. Danny pales as he feels the pure energy coming off of the ghost. "And if I'm right it took your friends, your family, and the Ghost of Time at his full power to beat him... Just what makes you think you can beat me on your-" Dan doesn't even finish before he finds himself blasted backwards into the wall.

Danny's scratched and torn cape flies out behind him as he lands on the ground in the middle of the ballroom after having knocked Dan back. The teen also can't help the small snort that escapes him. Honestly...the ghost had actually started _monologuing_.And here he thought only Technus did that anymore...

"I was young back then," Danny explains before darting forward as fast as his top speed before blasting Dan from the side and into the opposite wall. Dan growls before using both hands to throw a strong ecto-blast back, which Danny expertly avoids. Powerful, yes. Quick, not so much.

"I was still struggling to use my powers!" As if to prove his point Danny calls forth his energy and teleports behind Dan before blasting him from the back, point-blank. He couldn't stop his grin as Dan yelped and went skidding across the floor. He had been practicing his teleporting before he had died, good to see it was getting better. Danny grins even wider as Dan throws a couple of furious ecto-blasts his way, the teen dodging them all.

"I didn't even have my ice powers back then," Danny chuckles as he uses said ice powers to quickly freeze Dan to the floor, as if to prove his point. Not even giving the ghost a second's rest Danny quickly forms an even large ice blast and throws it at Dan, which breaks the ice that was holding him down and sends him flying across the room.

"Now I'm older!" A fierce hit to the chest. "Stronger!" A quick set of talon claws raked across the back. "Faster!" Uppercut to the chin, which quickly sends the elder skidding across the floor. "This time, Dan, I. Can. Beat. _YOU!_" Before Danny can let out a ghostly wail he's cut off. Dan grabs the teen by the broach that fastens his cloak together and flies the two forward. Danny grunts as he's slammed into a wall, his back screaming in pain.

Opening his eyes Danny is shocked to see the amount of rage and anger that was twisting Dan's face. He actually looked more ridiculous than scary at this point.

"_**I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY A CHILD!" **_

"Oh, you mean like you were last time?" Danny grins. Ah...there was his wit and sense of sarcasm. He had wondered where that went. Danny winces as he suddenly skids across the floor before coming to a stop in front of the large staircase that led out of the ballroom. Danny groans as he flips on his side and uses the stairs to crawl back to his feet. "Right...wit and sarcasm usually makes them angry."

Turning back around to glare at Dan Danny curses to see that the elder had gotten back into his stance and was about to start up another one of his ghostly wails. Not even pausing to think if his plan would work Danny shifts into his own ghostly wail stance before releasing his power the same time as Dan.

And what he sees shocks him.

He wasn't surprised to see Dan's ecto-green sound waves. It was his own that was shocking him. Instead of green, or even red, they were blue, and the the air around him seemed to get...colder. It was as if there was a blizzard in the room.

Danny squints his eyes shut in pain as he feels just how big the toll the wail is taking on him. He may have been stronger than he was three years ago but it still took a lot of energy to use the wail.

Feeling his energy almost gone Danny cuts off his wail, bracing for Dan's to hit him only to hear...nothing. It was silent. Danny slowly opens his eyes to see that the room was _frozen_. It looked like the Far Frozen for crying out loud!

"Wow...right... Ghostly Wail...it now freezes stuff..." Danny mutters before he slowly looks around and sees that even Dan was frozen. He actually looked a lot like Vlad had when he had run into the people of the Far Frozen. A giant statue/ice cube.

Danny absently wonders what he's supposed to do with Dan now before his eyes widen as he watches _Dan_, along with the ice cube, slowly melt. Into mist. Danny watches the blood-red mist hover in the air for a few seconds before slowly dissipating and disappearing.

Danny sighs, glad the fight was finally over, before he slowly stood up. He then regretted it. It felt like he had just be zapped by the ghost portal! Danny whimpers before moving to walk up the stairs, only to quickly grab his cloak as it slipped off his shoulders. The teen looks at is confusedly for a few seconds before he realizes the broach that held it in place had been torn off by Dan.

"Aw man...Andrew is gonna kill me..." Danny mutters while seeing that the cloak was actually quite roughed up. It looked like it had just come out of a fight with a cat, and lost. Danny frowns while wondering if Clockwork could reverse the time around the cloak and make it look like new again, otherwise he was going to feel very guilty every time he saw Andrew.

Shaking his head clear of thoughts Danny throws the cloak back around him, wondering how to tie it in place. The teen gets a sudden idea before grinning and holding out his right hand, concentrating as a small ice shard starts to appear in his hand. Concentrating the boy grins even wider when after a few short seconds he was holding a small clockwork gear, about the size of his last broach.

Smirking the boy fixed it to the cloak before slowly releasing it, grinning when the cloak stayed. Danny nods in achievement before slowly walking up the stairs, careful of his still aching wounds.

It was time to see why he was here in the first place.

* * *

There. THAT cliffhanger you can survive with...I hope...


	23. Safe and Sound

Okay, few things to discuss. One, sorry this is so late. Real Life decided to kick in, that and I got pretty sick for a while there. So damn the virus! Okay, next, Que is an evil bitch. She knows it too, and she's proud! I love her, but she is evil... ARE YOU HAPPY QUE?! THE CHAPTER IS UP NOW! OKAY?! *coughs* You don't believe me on how evil she is? Fine. Here.

**sta sh/012fi771w8rz** Dot goes between the sta and sh.

Okay...what's next... Oh yeah! I kinda went full-blown Whovian... I'm in season 3, just got past the...oh, what was it... The Dalek evolution one! Yeah...also kinda went crazy with Ten/Rose fanfiction... If any of you all write fanfiction write ones where Rose stays in Season thr- Okay, no, don't do that. Que is glaring at me. I can feel it. I CAN FEEL IT!

Okay...so... I think that's all. Also, David Tennat... That's who my inner voice/thoughts sound like... That's what happens when you watch so much Doctor Who, that and I say 'Fantastic'..._a lot_... So Allons-y!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=P9l8SxBCrVc**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

**::**

"_What do you mean he's gone?!_" They were all pretty sure that Jazz was just a step below screaming. A small step. As was proven by the fact that Andrew was currently hiding behind Clockwork. Sam and Tucker seemed to think that was the safest place too since they had edged closer to the time ghost as well.

"It is like I said. Daniel has left to find the Guardian of Protection's weapon of power. It is _his_ journey, Jasmine... As much as I would like to I cannot help him on this, no one can...we can only _wait_-"

"Yeah? Well fuck you and your waiting!" Jazz suddenly screamed. For a few short seconds the room seemed to have gone deathly quiet, not even the humans were breathing it seemed like. Sam and Tucker were actually trying to figure out if they had stepped into an alternate universe. Jazz snapping? They had seen that. Jazz snapping _this _much?

It looked like she was about to find a way to kill ghosts.

Instead of looking worried, like a sane ghost would, Clockwork just looked faintly amused at the red-haired human in front of him. The room was filled with a tense quiet as the two stared at each other, one grinning and the other close to growling. The stare was finally broken however when Jazz screamed in frustration and stomped away.

Considering the human was her master's sibling Lookout decided to take pity on the girl and quietly directed her to a staircase in the back, one that would be able to reach the lower levels. Phasing would be quicker...but since this one was human Lookout decided this would be better.

"Well...that was fun..." Tucker half-joked while looking around the room awkwardly and tugging at his collar. He never did like arguing. Fighting? Yeah, that was easy. Arguments...and _Jazz _arguments? Those were just hard on everyone. Sam glanced at him with a dead expression before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, real fun. Jazz just snapped and looked like she was about to become an axe murderer. Do you know what would happen if that happened?!"

"Hundreds would die?" Tucker asked hesitantly, Sam rolling her eyes and getting closer so her glare was at full effect.

"No. Danny would probably breakdown. He already had a mental breakdown when he heard Jazz swear the first time," Sam snorted while absentmindedly rubbing her arms to get warmth back into them. Honestly she hardly even noticed when she did it anymore where she had been in the Ghost Zone so many times over the years. Although...Danny's lair seemed to be colder than most of the Ghost Zone...

"Uh...dude? I wouldn't go down there!" Tucker called out, Sam looking to see that Clockwork had just quirked an eyebrow since he was halfway to the stairs already. "Seriously! Bad idea!"

"As much as I hate agreeing with Tucker...he's right this one time," Sam jumped in, ignoring Tucker's glare, "Talking to Jazz when she's _this_ worried about Danny always ends badly...for everyone..." At this both teens shivered, as if remembering some event in the past. Instead of taking the advice Clockwork just grinned and turned intangible.

"I have an idea of what I am doing. Thank you for the warning though," Clockwork smirked before darting through the floor, leaving the two teens and one ghost alone on the upper floor. All three shared an awkward glance. It was like meeting a best friend's other friends.

"Well...Danny was right at least..." Tucker quietly coughed while tucking his hands in his hoodie's pockets and looking around. Sam raised and eyebrow while Andrew turned his attention to the two. "This place does kinda look like the Torchwood in Cardiff..." Both humans looked surprised when Andrew let out a small snort.

"You must be the Whovian friend Danny was telling me about..." Tucker grinned back at the ghost while nodding. For a moment it seemed like the two were about to go into ultimate nerd discussion mode, something Sam knew more about than she would have liked. Of course...Tucker had to open his big mouth.

"Torchwood is way better than Doctor Who though." Sam swore that the temperature in the room _dropped_. And it was pretty damn cold to begin with.

"Excuse me..." Well...if Sam thought the room was cold then it was nothing compared to Andrew's voice. It sounded like _he_ was the one with ice powers.

"Well I mean...come on. Doctor Who is predictable. Alien attacks, someone dies, then he and his companion saves the day. It's in every episode! Not to mention he seems to fall in love with ALL of his companions!" Tucker snorted, Sam taking a few steps away from the two. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Last time Danny and Tucker had gotten into a Whovian fight Danny had almost used his powers on the teen out of sheer frustration, and those two were childhood best friends.

Arguing with someone he barely knew hardly seemed better.

"Oh...I'm sorry. At least people _know_ who the Doctor is. Hardly anyone watches Torchwood! When you really think about no one even thinks that Torchwood is a real tv show, they just think it's something in the Doctor Who universe... Oh, and let's not forget that Doctor Who came first, and that Torchwood is technically an anagram of Doctor Who."

"Oh for god's sake!" Sam muttered while looking around before spotting a couch to collapse on. She thought that they were coming here to check on Danny, not get into another nerd war! Maybe there was something she could hit her head on...

A gentle feeling in the back of Sam's head caused her to dart up and look around. She didn't see anything that could cause it, and the feeling didn't feel like an evil one. It actually felt like it was _agreeing _with her.

"Oh...you must be Danny's Lair, Lookout!" Sam grinned, tuning out the fight in front of her for a few seconds. She felt the distinct impression that the voice was saying hello and then saying the two boys were being foolish. "I know...but there's no way to stop a nerd war, trust me. I've tried." This time she gets the feeling of laughter.

"Hm...I think I just made a new friend..."

::

Clockwork sighed as he watched Jazz descend the back staircases for a few seconds before taking a sharp turn and walking down one of the halls. After a few seconds Clockwork watched as she basically snapped and threw a door open, huffing in irritation as she walked in.

Jazz barely even glanced at the room full of books, which looked to be the library, before heading towards the couch in the middle. Clockwork has to hold back his laughter as he watched the girl push all the books into the floor before collapsing on it herself. She then of course screamed as loud as she could into the pillows, muffling her voice.

"I take it you're finished taking your anger out on the books and pillow now?" Clockwork asked, slowly fading back into the tangible and visible spectrum as he touched down on the floor. Jazz glanced up at the ghost for a few seconds before letting out her fiercest glare and going back to trying to suffocate herself in the pillows.

"Honestly..." Clockwork sighed before rolling his eyes, "You can be just as stubborn as Daniel-" As soon as word of Jazz's brother left his mouth Jazz was up and snatching Clockwork's staff from him. Really he was too shocked to keep a proper hold on it, he hadn't really expected the girl to do that.

Of course he was even more shocked when he was suddenly whacked on the head with his own staff. Hard. He watched Jazz glare at him for a few more seconds before holding the staff back out to him. The time ghost wearily took it before watching the girl huff and sit back on the couch, this time looking like a small child more than anything.

He really missed seeing the timelines.

"Sorry..." Jazz muttered, voice slightly muffled from where she had her knees tucked up to her chest and her head hidden between them. Clockwork merely watched her for a few seconds before chuckling.

"It is quite alright, Jasmine. There have been quite a few people who have wanted to harm me in the past, and all of them have done far worse than simply hitting me...although...none of them had ever hit me with my own staff before..." Clockwork slightly grinned, taking a seat beside the girl on the couch. He was surprised to see the dull blush that had spread across the face, at least the part he could see since she was still hidden.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes before Clockwork finally decided to break it and reassure the girl. He had dealt with many tense and awkward situations...this one seemed to be the worst however. He also felt...guilty...

"Daniel will be fine, Jasmine. He's stronger than most take him for. If it's him...he'll surely succeed in his task." Instead of smiling gratefully like he had expected Jazz just let out a small huff and tilted her head to glare up at him. Instead of getting used to the glare like the hundreds he had faced before this one just made him even more uncomfortable.

"Forgive me for worrying about the _only_ family I have left!" As soon as the shout had left the girl seemed to deflate even more, looking far younger than she should. "He's...Danny's all that I have left, Clockwork... To be honest...I haven't had a mom or dad in a long time... That's why I'm so protective over Danny!" Clockwork noticed that Jazz's tone had turned pleading, as if she was trying to get him to understand.

"By the time Danny was five our..._those people_ had become so obsessed in their science and studies that they barely even noticed they had kids...so...I had to look after Danny... I had to raise him, teach him, care for him... Honestly I feel like he's my kid more than my brother..."

Clockwork thought over the girl's words before letting out a small chuckle, Jazz looking up at him in surprise. "You know, you can be just as clueless as Daniel sometimes..."

"Yeah, and you can be just as infuriating," Jazz groused, surprise turning into irritation. "But I'm sure you've probably heard that before." Clockwork simply chuckled again, Jazz letting out a small smile at the noise.

"Many times." The girl rolled her eyes before looking down at the floor and picking up one of the books that she had pushed off earlier. After a quick shift to where her knees were tucked under her and the book was on her lap as she flipped through the pages.

"Sorry...I guess I'm just so worried because I don't know a thing about what Danny's getting himself into. I mean...the only thing I really know about the Guardians is that Danny is the one in charge of the Ghost Zone, or Protection, or whatever! Other than that though...I'm pretty much lost... And I don't like being lost very much," Jazz halfheartedly chuckled before sighing and tiredly rubbing at her eyes.

"I suppose I of all people can understand your irritation," Clockwork slightly grinned as Jazz glanced up at him. "Currently my sight is blocked and I am unable to see what may happen in the future...I can barely even see what has happened in the past!" At this Clockwork let out a harsh laugh, "The supposedly all-knowing _Guardian of Time_ is just as lost as everyone else..."

"I take it you don't like being in the dark either then, do you?" Jazz asked, slightly grinning as Clockwork let out a huff of annoyance and turned to look at her.

"Not in the least."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Jazz absentmindedly flipping pages in the book she was holding while Clockwork tinkered with the gears on the top of his staff.

"Perhaps..." Jazz seemed shocked at the broken silence before looking up to lock eyes with Clockwork, who was looking every bit like someone who had seen far too much. "Perhaps I can explain about the Guardians...as much as I can..." Someone who had seen far too much yet still had hope.

"Yeah...that'd be...yeah..." Jazz slowly grinned, a small chuckle escaping her. Clockwork quirked an eyebrow while Jazz just shook her head. "I can see why Danny likes you so much... Yeah... Explaining all of this would be nice, on one condition!"

"I'm offering to help _you_ and _I _get the condition?" Honestly he was more amused than anything, and Jazz must have noticed since she grinned even wider.

"Yep. Now. I'll study with you as long as you _promise_ not to make Danny feel awkward the first time he calls you Dad." Well, Clockwork certainly wasn't expecting that. Jazz seemed to know since he looked as if his mind had just flat-lined. "Because he will call you that...given time. And you know all about time, don't you?"

Jazz had not expected Clockwork's laughter, although she did like it. It wasn't some pompous or fake laughter like she had seen from him, but real loud laughter from someone who hadn't laughed in a long time.

"Deal then. I promise to do my best not to make Daniel feel awkward," Clockwork responded, trying his best to act serious even though Jazz could see the smile playing around his lips.

"Alright then...so...the Guardians? Exactly how many are there?"

"Well...there are supposed to be twelve in total, known as the Council of Twelve. There's Daniel, the Guardian of Protection, and me, the Guardian of Time..."

::

"...and it was the Guardian of Weather's job to-" Clockwork suddenly cut his explanation off when he felt something warm and soft fall against him. Looking down he softly chuckles as he sees Jazz passed out, random book clutched to her chest. "Hm...seems I've been talking longer than I had first thought..." Four hours in fact.

Quietly getting up and expertly fading out of her grasp Clockwork managed to get the girl properly laid out on the couch. Seeing the girl shiver he doesn't even think before his cloak is taken off and wrapped around her. He only realizes what he's done once Jazz is snuggled into the cloak like a blanket and book clutched to her chest like a teddy bear.

"Time to check on the others I suppose..." Clockwork muttered before grabbing his staff and darting through the floors and ceilings and up to the main floor. When he touched down he was pretty sure he had never been so shocked, at least not in a long time. "What in the world happened here..."

The whole place looked like it had been a war zone, even worse than when he and Danny had fought over the bag of sleep dust. Looking around wearily he managed to spot Sam, who was sitting out of the way on one of the few couches that had survived. Quickly flying over he landed before taking in her expression, she looked torn between being amused and annoyed.

"Care to explain what happened?" Clockwork asked, deciding to ignore the fact he was starting to sound more and more like a parent. He wasn't quite ready to admit that. Sam glanced up at him for a few seconds, Clockwork was already preparing for a long and over-detailed answer.

"The two got into a fight."

There was silence for a few seconds before Clockwork quirked an eyebrow. Well, he could honestly say he wasn't expecting that. "That was it? 'The two got into a fight.'" Hm...he hadn't expected Andrew and Tucker to fight... From what he knew those two would have gotten along rather well...unless...

"It was a fight over which show was better, Doctor Who or Torchwood." Not even Clockwork, Master of All Time and Reality, could stop the wince at the thought of two Whovians fighting. At least that explained why the whole place looked like a war had taken place. Although...it was rather quiet...

"Exactly where are the two now?" Sam merely pointed to the opposite side of the main floor, Clockwork following the direction only to see the answer to his question. Andrew was floating _just_ out of reach from Tucker, and both certainly looked as if they had been fighting...although...it looked like a fist fight! Both of them had their glasses just barely hanging on, and their clothes looked as if they had been scratched and torn. "And how long have they been fighting?"

"Hm...hard to tell... Lookout? How long have the idiots been at it? Not the verbal parts, just when they started hitting each other." Well...looked like his guess of the fist fight had been right. "Right. Three hours."

"Three hours?" Clockwork asked, absentmindedly realizing that he had been more surprised in the past week than he had in the past few centuries. Oh he was going to _destroy_ whatever had taken his sight away from him. "Exactly when were they planning on stopping?"

"Until one of them blacked out?" Sam half-asked, smirking as the two watched Tucker leap into the air, using one of the computer consoles as a kick-off. He managed to grab Andrew before pulling the ghost down to the ground, which caused another fight, this time the two were rolling around on the ground while aiming punches at one anoth- Clockwork sighed as he saw them switch from punching to clawing and scratching one another like cats.

"You would think they would have stopped by now..." the elder ghost groused, watching as one of them tried to bite the other. It was actually pretty hard to tell since they didn't seem to stop moving, each trying to hurt the other.

"Yeah, well...nerds fights can get pretty crazy," Sam snickered while watching Andrew finally kick Tucker off of him before leaping and tackling the boy to the ground. "Although they are so much fun to watch..."

Clockwork merely sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was getting to old for this...

* * *

What? We need to know what happens with these guys too! *cackles* TAKE THAT QUE!

Later all!


	24. Onwards

Okay. A few things to get out of the way. One, I am so so sorry I'm late...Been a strange month here... Like...I can't remember most of it... *shakes head* Two, I am all caught up on Doctor Who! ...Angels in Manhattan made me cry. So much. Four, no...wait a minute, three, sorry for the short chapter. This was as long as I could make it without it being ridiculous. Four, please don't kill me for being late and giving you such a short chapter. Please.

Five, uh...what was five... Enjoy? Oh! Now I remember! THANK YOU! It just hit me I have 300 reviews from you all...it's...it's amazing as hell I'll tell you that... 319 reviews. 108 favs. 138 follows. Just...you all spoil me... So! Here's your song/chapter!

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=VEEJV3Ecwps **Song for you! Oh yeah, Que used this for her Snow Point chapter, which is where I got the idea to use it. XD

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**::**

"Alright...I admit it..." Danny huffed before crossing his arms over his chest, "I'm lost." And he was. A quick glance at his watch showed he had been running around the castle for the better part of four hours, he was starting to think this castle was somehow _alive_, or at least made to where the hallways changed. Because there was no other way he could go in a straight line and end up back where he had started.

"So first the castle keeps changing, now I can't phase through the walls...what else could go wrong?!" It was then Danny remembered he should never say that, let alone scream it in frustration. Mostly due to the fact that the ceiling was now collapsing and he was trying to dodge pieces of falling rock.

As if to tease him he had felt the pull on his core again, which was leading him straight towards a dead-end wall. Growling the teen swung around the corner before seeing something that gave him a rather interesting idea.

"Alright then...guess we'll be doing this Sam's way then..." the teen chuckled before darting out the large window that was in front of him. It was quick, simple, and perfect. The pull on his core kept pulling him up, so this was just a faster way to get there.

As soon as he had cleared the window Danny flew a few paces back, trying to get a clear picture of just how big this castle was. He then realized that he had miscalculated on size. It was about four times the size of Pariah's Keep. Even with pieces of the castle crumbling, breaking, and floating off into the Ghost Zone it still felt like it was...alive? It was just one of those things he couldn't explain.

It was like the difference between visiting a castle on tour and visiting a castle when it was new and filled with it's people. And right then he had been feeling as if the latter was true.

Feeling the pull on his core Danny shook his head clear before focusing on following the small tug. Eyes following the invisible path he really couldn't help the humorless chuckle that escaped. Of all the places this thing that was tugging on him had to be of course it was there.

"In the tallest room of the tallest tower..." Danny mumbled under his breath while looking up at the tower. At this point he was half-hoping that Andrew was playing a trick on him and this was all one of his stories. Or even one of Nocturne's dreams...considering he was bruised, battered, and close to fainting of exhaustion thought he was pretty sure this was real.

"Alright...time to find out just what I'm here for..." Danny grinned before darting onwards. He couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered the time Tucker had said that action music should be playing every time Danny did something _heroic_ like that. Honestly Danny couldn't tell if the teen had been joking or serious. Wouldn't surprise him if it had somehow been both though...

"Whoa! What was that..." Looking behind him Danny saw the large floating rock that he had just narrowly avoided. He was used to things being thrown at him or even having buildings tumbling down around him...but floating rocks that suddenly decided to try and hit him? That was a new one.

"Guess it was just a- Oh you have got to be kidding me..." Danny muttered before darting to the side, dodging the rock that was now flying _up _at him. Falling down? That he could pass up. Flying up? That meant something was trying to kill him. _Again_. "Every single time..." the teen grumbled before unfolding his wings and concentrating on the auras around him. Maybe if he found out just what was causing all of this he could learn why he was here in the first place.

"Oh...that's...that's not good..." the ghost muttered faintly before his eyes snapped wide open. If it was possible he would have paled even more, as it was he just backed away from the castle before once again dodging the flying rock as he did so. Once he was a ways away from the castle he took time to process what he had just learned.

The _whole freaking castle_ was out to get him.

"Okay...okay okay...aura coming from the rocks, the cast- Damn rock," Danny muttered while throwing a quick ecto-blast at the rock, which was quickly destroyed. "Auras in rocks, castle, the whole freaking area..._everything_... Why can't these kinds of things ever be easy..." the teen muttered, swearing he could hear Clockwork's amused chuckles in his head.

As if taunting him it was at that moment that Danny felt the pull on his core, almost as if it was teasing him to try and find it now. Scowling the teen cracked his knuckles slowly before adjusting his cloak and flaring his wings. The castle wanted to fight back? Fine. He'd give it a fight then.

Moving fast Danny darted towards the castle, narrowly swerving up and missing the wall by less than an inch before putting all his power into climbing the tower and getting to the top. It was less than a second later that he was forced to stop in midair and put up his strongest wing shield yet, all due to the three large rocks that were trying to hit him from all sides.

"Alright...this might be tougher than I thought..." the teen muttered before pushing his shield outwards and looking back up at the tower. If he could just follow it up all the way to the top everything would be fine- Oh...there was an idea... Grinning Danny dodged the rocks quickly before snapping his wings closed and turning his legs into a ghostly tail.

It was time to see how fast he could fly now that he was a _full_ ghost.

Moving so fast that there almost seemed to be an afterimage Danny darted forwards, moving up the wall as his body pressed closely against the tower, barely any room between the two. Feeling one of the rocks slam into the tower, a few inches below where his tail had just been, Danny grinned before climbing even higher.

Of course it was then that the rocks started coming from above him as well. "Alright...let's see just how fast you all are..." Danny muttered before angling his direction and going up the tower in a diagonal pattern, swirling around the tower as he climbed it, rocks missing him by a hair's width each time.

"Ha! Stupid rocks," the teen grinned as he saw the edge of the window right in front of him, only to be knocked aside by the largest rock he had seen yet. It looked to be about as big as Cujo when the dog was angry. "Oh of course...always at the last second," Danny grumbled before swerving away from the tower and backing up, dodging some of the smaller rocks as he did so.

Seeing the large rock coming back towards him Danny flew upwards, cursing as the rock followed him more closely than the others had, almost as if it was locked onto him. "Oh just great. Wonderful! Of course it's the largest rock here that's the sentient one! Why wouldn't it be?!" Danny screamed, half-ranting and half-venting. Not that anyone could blame him. He had a bunch of sentient rocks chasing after him, he was _allowed_ to freak out.

"Alright...let's see just how strong you guys are," Danny grinned before doubling back in his path and hitting the chasing rock with as large an ectoblast he could manage at such short range. When not even a scratch appeared on the surface Danny figured he might have some trouble this time around.

Quickly bringing his wings up as well as one of his wing shields the boy couldn't help but wince as the rock slammed into the side of the shield. Usually he could hold back tons of weight with one of his shields no problem, especially a wing one, but since he was exhausted he was having a harder time of it. Even if it had been a fake Dan it had still taken most of his strength to beat the thing.

When the small rocks, which were about as big as him, started smashing into his shield from all directions the teen realized that Clockwork hadn't been kidding when he had said he might die while trying to find his weapon. If it was this much trouble he could see why there hadn't been a Guardian in so long.

Seeing a small crack that started to form in the shield Danny bit the inside of his cheek before taking a deep breath and pushing his shield outwards as far as he could, all while trying to keep it intact. Danny grinned while watching the rocks scatter in random directions before letting instinct take over him as he pulled the shield back in as tightly as he could. Still grinning the teen slowly let the energy of the shield be almost pulled away from him, forcing it into a little red ball as he did so.

Less than a few seconds later and he had a small red ball of ecto-energy that was no bigger than a golf-ball, but was _radiating _with energy. Letting out something between a giggle and a chuckle Danny tapped into his ice core, adding a light coating of ice power around the energy before looking up at the rocks that were all charging towards him head-first. Flicking his arm back he threw it, like he had done a thousand times before, at the rock that looked to be in charge.

Oh great...he was starting to think of rocks as being in charge.

Suddenly realizing what he had just released Danny almost paled before darting upwards, aiming to get as far away as possible from the blast he had thrown. He knew what compressed power could do, and he wasn't eager to get caught in the blast like he had last time he had seen in.

That had been four days in the hospital.

Glancing back and seeing the blast just barely touch the lead rock Danny's eyes widened. The blast exploded and sent out bright red shock waves, which he was currently trying to outfly. To little success. Feeling the ricochet push him towards the tower he forgot just how fast he could be sent flying, he also remembered why he hated that feeling so much.

Letting out a yelp as he found himself rolling across a hard stone floor he groaned as his body finally came to a stop. Realizing his fight might not be over just yet the ghost jumped up, wings flared as he readied himself to fight back against whatever was attacking him.

Only to be met with nothing but silence.

Sighing in slight relief Danny grinned as he bent over, resting his hands on his knees as he looked up at the way he had come in, which was through the window to the tower he had been trying to get into. As far as he could guess the shock waves from his blast had blown him all the way up towards the tower and into it.

Feeling the tug the teen froze, slowly straightening up and tilting his head around to see what he had his back turned to. When he saw he was pretty sure his skin was paling, in fear or shock he wasn't quite sure yet.

"Well well...it looks as if you've finally arrived... With a little more bruising than I would have expected as well."

* * *

Right. So. Some of you may want to kill me...wanna know why I'm not worried? Pft. Stupid question. I'm so worried. Right now I am scared for my very life.. Which is good. That means you all are invested in this story...

*cackles* Seeya all later.


	25. You Were Born For This

****Yeah, short, I know. I'm very tired though but I promised Que a chapter so here it is! I've fallen a little behind because as some of you may know I started a new story. A Doctor Who story...called A Message in Time and Space... It's a reunion fic between Rose and Ten...but this one charts season 5 and onwards.

No Que, I don't feel bad for shameless plugging. You should know that by now. XD So, here's your chapter! I swear the next one will make more sense!

Maybe...

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=UQo00LbMMAo**

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**Chapter 25**

**::**

"Um...Umbra?" This was too surreal. And impossible. There was no way he was actually looking at the former Guardian of Protection. He had been gone for...what was it? Thousands of years? "You...can't be real..." Danny muttered, eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. "You're an illusion...like Dan, aren't you?"

Danny watched as the old ghost chuckled before closing the book he had been reading and setting it down on the desk near the corner of the room. He then picked up the large scythe that had been leaning against the desk, the one Danny had been thinking about for what felt like years.

"No, I am not really in this plane of existence, not physically anyways..." Danny would have relaxed at that if he hadn't seen the mischievous grin that then lit up the ghost's face as he gripped the scythe tighter. "I am far realer than the Dan you met downstairs, however..." Danny nodded slowly before taking a deep breath, even if he didn't need it.

"So what now?" Umbra couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him as he walked forward. It had seemed like he had chosen his successor well, for once. Maybe...just maybe... Shaking the thoughts off the ghost stood in front of the boy, who's wings were slightly drooped, showing his weariness.

"All you have to do is take the scythe from me." Danny stared at him for a few seconds in silence before raising an eyebrow the same time as his wings. Once they were flared his hands quickly filled with ice-blue ecto-energy.

"Yeah, forgive me if I don't believe _that_," Danny snorted before suddenly charging forward at the grinning ghost in front of him. A second later he passed through nothing but air that had the faint trace of teleportation energy. Whirling around he saw Umbra leaning up against the door at the back of the room, looking relaxed.

Not even pausing at realizing he hadn't hit his target Danny swerved in midair before flying straight towards the older ghost, hands firing off ecto-blasts as he drew closer. Umbra simply gave him an amused look before bringing up his own wings for the first time and forming a large wing shield in front of him.

Narrowing his eyes at the shield Danny abruptly brought himself short of ramming into the energy before backing up a few steps, more energy filling his hands and close to being fired off. Umbra looked surprised for a second before a small smirk played on his lips.

"Oh? What's wrong? I thought you were trying to take the scythe from me? Why so weary of just a shield?" Danny's eyes narrowed even further as he slowly landed on the stone floor before answering.

"Yeah, not really up for being electrocuted thanks, I've had enough of that to last a lifetime, literally," Danny snorted as a small streak of static raced across the shield before the energy dropped. "You had that whole thing ready to shock anything that got near it."

"Hm...you're a rather good fighter...better than I had first thought," Umbra smirked while standing up into a more serious stance now that the boy had his full attention. Danny just let loose his own smirk before suddenly disappearing from in front of the former Guardian.

"Three years of fighting ghosts tends to help in things like this," Danny grinned, Umbra tensing as he heard the voice from behind him. Before the elder could move or even turn around Danny let off as large a blast as he could manage, point blank. Quickly correcting his course Umbra expertly kicked off the bookshelf at the other end of the room before darting back towards Danny, who was now grinning.

"For example," Danny chuckled before flaring his wings up, "That teleport move I learned form the Fruitloop." He then quickly formed one of his own wing shields, making it as strong as he could before Umbra punched it with a fist full of glowing red ecto-energy.

Danny watched the shield crackle before he suddenly paled and the shield exploded, sending him skidding across the floor. Danny's groan quickly turned into a growl as he was back up and wrapping ecto-energy around his hands and forming two sets of talons, which were quickly turning from blue to red.

The teen charged once again towards Umbra, who only glanced at the talons for a second before avoiding them and swiftly punching Danny in the stomach. The blow sent the younger backwards a few feet, making him breathless as he gagged for a few seconds.

Huffing Danny slowly shook off the feeling of wanting to dry heave before charging back towards Umbra, talons even sharper than before. "Oh please..." Umbra muttered before sending the boy flying again, this time causing him to slam into a wall, rather hard.

The next ten minutes went by with Danny using various combinations of wing shields and ecto-talons, none of which worked on the ghost in front of him. After the last swipe of talons, which hadn't even hit, Danny was sent flying back into the bookcase harder than ever before slowly sliding down it and groaning, a few books falling on his head from where he had hit.

As the books hit his head he looked even more exhausted than before. Even if the fighting had only been going on for a few minutes fighting someone who had the former title of _Guardian of Protection _tended to be harder than it looked, especially when the ghost claimed to be more than an illusion, as was attested to the fact that Danny hurt. _Everywhere. _

Gritting his teeth Danny slowly climbed to his feet while trying not to fall back down as he leaned against the bookcase. He looked up to see that Umbra was standing in the middle of the room and frowning at him, scythe still clutched in his hands as he gave the boy a calculating look. The frown and look in the elder's eyes was what really was annoying Danny. It looked like...

Like Clockwork when Danny was doing something stupid during training.

"Oh I am such an _idiot_!" Danny hissed softly before leaning against the bookcase even more and bowing his head. How in the world had he been that stupid! He was trying to hard to use tricks and techniques that Umbra had _ages_ to master. He was trying to fight like a Guardian when really...he should be fighting like a _phantom_...

"Are you really giving up that quickly?" Umbra asked, somewhat disappointed as he watched the boy's bowed head. He didn't get to ask anything after that since he was quickly bringing up a wing shield to block Danny's ghostly wail, which was blue and icy like it had been last time. How had the boy managed to use something that powerful when he was so near his limit?!

Seeing a blur and something quickly descending Umbra pulled up his scythe out of reflex, using it to block the dark-blue staff that had been formed out of ecto-energy. The two gritted their teeth at the resounding vibrations before Danny smirked and jumped back, skidding across the floor as he did so.

"Heh...that's the first time you've used your scythe..." Umbra looked at the boy in surprise before grinning and taking up a position, this time with his scythe ready to use. This was getting to be more fun than he had thought it would be.

"So it was...I wonder though... Could you do it again?" Danny narrowed his eyes before grinning and bringing his staff back up. That had rather sounded like a challenge to him...and, well...

He never could resist a challenge.

::

Danny groaned as he was suddenly thrown back onto the floor, hard. He was about to get up when a boot was firmly pressed on his chest and pinning him into place. He quickly paled before wiggling and trying to get free only to quickly stop when a long cold piece of metal was firmly pressed into his neck. Umbra's scythe.

Looking up Danny grinned to see that Umbra looked as exhausted as him, which was to be expected after the two had fought for over an hour straight. Even back in Amity the fights had never lasted as long as that.

"Do you surrender, Phantom?" Umbra asked severely, scythe pressed against the teen's throat even more. Danny huffed, trying to get a breath of air out of habit, before looking up at Umbra straight in the eyes and smirking. The elder raised an eyebrow before the younger chuckled and let his grin form into a full smile.

"Never."

Umbra grinned down at the young ghost before taking a step back and raising his scythe, and then setting it on the floor to lean against it. Danny stayed still for a few more seconds before slowly relaxing at seeing that Umbra wasn't about to suddenly lop his head of. His confusion grew even more however when he felt all fighting intent leave the ghost in front of him.

"Congratulations," Umbra smiled, a real, true smile that reminded Danny of Clockwork after the teen had mastered a particularly difficult skill. Of course this did nothing to explain what was going on right now.

"On...what, exactly?" the teen slowly asked, wondering if he was about to be dropped into a hidden cellar or some other cliché villain trap.

"Passing," the former Guardian grinned, which caused Danny to raise his eyebrow. He was now curious along with confused, which was a rather weird feeling.

"...huh?" Umbra chuckled before reaching out a hand to help the teen up, which he was grateful for since he didn't think he would have been able to stand on his own when his energy was at an all-time low. If he was still half-ghost only he would have changed back to a human by now.

"This fight wasn't about you winning or losing. It was about your determination to fight and keep going even when all looked hopeless. That's a Guardian of Protection's job, after all," Umbra grinned before Danny answered with a grin of his own. His grin quickly left as an astonished expression took it's place as he was now holding the scythe that was the Guardian's weapon of power, at least for this Guardian anyways.

Gripping the cool metal he was shocked at simply how _right_ it felt in his hands. Like, as cliché as it was, that it was meant to be his. The grin lit up the teen's face again as he looked back up at Umbra, only to see that the ghost was _fading_. Not bad fading, like he had been doing when he had first got his powers, but like the was...content.

"Looks like it's all up to you now, young Phantom..." Umbra said, serious. Danny felt the weight of the words as they hung in the air. He knew there was a reason he had been madea Guardian...and it looked like very soon he was going to be finding out what it was. The elder ghost then smiled gently, a look of fond exasperation on his face as he spoke. "And when you get a chance tell that irritating little annoyance of mine that he is in more trouble than he could ever imagine when he finally gets home..."

"Who?" Danny asked, feeling rather confused. Who would this ghost know that was still alive, in a manner of speaking. He himself shouldn't have even been here! Umbra chuckled at the look on the teen's face before grinning again.

"You'll figure it out...in time." He was really getting sick of hearing that...and since his dad was Guardian of Time it meant he heard it a lot. "Also, Danny..." At this the teen started, that was the first time he had been called Danny by this ghost. "Never forget...

"Y_ou were born for this..._"

Danny opened his mouth to ask just _what _he needed to figure out and what exactly he was born for but the words died on his lips as he looked up to see that the older ghost was now gone, faded away into wherever ghosts went when they left life, for good. The teen let out a small smile as a breeze, that shouldn't be possible since they were in the Ghost Zone, whipped his hair around for a few seconds.

It had felt like an older sibling messing his hair up, like Jazz did sometimes.

Danny felt the breeze swirl around him one more time before heading towards the window. "Thanks..." the teen quietly whispered before a glowing blue aura made his eyes snap back towards the scythe that was now in his hands. As the aura pulsed he felt his core pulse with it in response. He stopped breathing when he heard a voice. A small and quiet voice...

_Don't worry. Everything will be alright...you'll see... Everything..._

::

Sam and Tucker gave each other odd looks when Andrew abruptly stopped screaming, which had been surprising considering he hadn't stopped for the past two hours. The second odd thing was that Clockwork had suddenly dropped his staff. Actually, that wasn't odd, that was just plain scary.

All three humans looked over at the two ghosts in shock before Andrew finally started laughing and grinning, looking at all of them in turn.

"He did it... He... I don't know how but he did it! Danny did it!" Andrew laughed again while Jazz gently picked up Clockwork's staff before handing it to the ghost, who took it absentmindedly before looking over at the human and grinning widely. Jazz quickly grinned in response.

"So that means Danny's fine then, right?" Clockwork nodded before gripping his staff and grinning even wider.

"Daniel's fine...and the Ghost Zone has just gained a new Guardian of Protection..." While Tucker and Sam looked confused Jazz squealed before quickly jumping up and down and then grabbing Andrew's hands, the two spinning around in circles in glee while Clockwork laughed. It sounded like the first real laugh he had let out in ages.

::

Danny slowly opened his eyes and grinned. He felt it. He _felt_ the scythe and it's power...he could feel everything. For a few short seconds he could feel _everyone_. He could even feel Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all the way back at the Lookout. And he could also feel...something that shouldn't be in the Zone...something that didn't feel like a ghost...

The new Guardian's eyes suddenly widened when he heard a loud echoing roar of rage that seemed to fly around the whole Ghost Zone. The teen shivered before he clutched the staff tightly, remembering what he was holding and how he had gotten it. It looked like whatever had been haunting his dreams was _real_... Once that thought sunk in Danny slowly grinned. Whatever was out there was real...

And it was his job to beat it.

* * *

I know...it's short, I left you at a cliffhanger, you want to kill me. Trust me, I get that last one a lot. XD


	26. The True Guardian of Protection

****So a five-page chapter that I typed in about two hours...not too bad. Sorry for how long it's been...life and all, you know? So, this is chapter 26! Hopefully it's awesome enough to where you all WON'T want to kill me. And may I just say I am blown away by the love I get for this story? It just...it makes me think I may actually BE a writer one day like I want to...

Oh! Guess what? WE HAVE FANART! Made by the lovely HalloweenHowl, who I call Hollow. Hollow has made two FANTASTIC pieces of DP Guardian fanart. So go look at them because they are much better than my crappy story. I swear you will either squee or go aw. It's impossible not to.

draconicghost deviantart com/art/Hi-Clockwork-354954836

draconicghost deviantart com/art/Guardian-Danneh-354953241

Just copy, past into url, put dots where the spaces are and click enter on your keyboard. You will adore her art! So, here's your song and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh, the song is from Fairy Tail. You have GOT to check other either the manga or the anime, both are so amazing! And the newest chapter... Oh. My. Goddess.

I cried.

A lot.

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=Feazzptg0ms**

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**Chapter 26**

**: :**

Taking a seat on one of the scattered about rocks of the Ghost Zone Danny couldn't stop his sigh of relief. He was finally out of the Dark Part of the Zone. He didn't know what but he just _knew_ there was a reason he didn't like it there, and it wasn't just the evil castle that had almost killed him. It was something else...something that almost seemed to be hiding in the darkness.

"Something...something I feel like I'm missing..." the teen muttered, staring out at the large expanse of dark in front of him. It felt like some..._aura_ was coming out of the place. Something dark and ancient that he wanted no part in, although he would probably end up facing it eventually. It always seemed to happen to him. Shaking his head he turned his gaze back towards his lair.

Honestly he wasn't too sure if this was real or if he was dreaming. He was holding the Guardian of Protection's...no...he was holding _his_ scythe. The fact that he now had a weapon of untold power was also something that was rather hard to register. He was still trying to get used to the fact that he was now full ghost and was in charge of keeping every other ghost safe...although from what he wasn't too sure. Yet.

"Holding an ancient weapon full of power...and all I can think to do is sit and think some more," Danny halfheartedly chuckled, not sure if he was acting extra sarcastic today or if he was just finally noticing how sarcastic he was. It was probably a little of both, but hey, he could afford to be sarcastic. He had just gotten one of the most coveted things known in all of ghost history and he hadn't died.

Actually, that was the part that startled him most, although...to be fair...he was rather hard to kill. The first time he had almost died he had instead ended up getting powers that allowed him to protect his friends and hometown, and each time he had almost died after that he had only come out of the encounter stronger than ever. And when he finally _had _died he still ended up coming back.

Thinking on it he could see why his enemies was fed up with him so much. He was like the cockroach of the Ghost Zone.

Shaking his head clear Danny finally stood up, brushing himself off as he did so. It was time to head back to his lair and check in with Clockwork and Andrew. Maybe they had found something in all those books about that roaring beast he had heard, and seen in his dreams. "Hm...thinking on it I remember feeling Jazz and the others there..." It was then a rather evil thought came into his head.

It had to do with getting a black cloak, his intangibility, and his new scythe. And wondering how much he could scare Tucker if he showed up looking like the Grim Reaper. He recalled the last time he had done that he had been controlled by an evil force and had almost scared both of his friends to death, one almost literally.

Jerking his head sharply all thoughts of playfully scaring his friends left his head. He heard yelling and screaming, a sound he had heard far too much over the years. And it was the kind that usually meant people were being attack by a ghost, which was a sound that he knew even better. Not even giving it a second thought Danny jumped into the air, zooming towards the sounds.

"Oh who am I kidding...everyone _is _right," Danny half-grinned while gripping his scythe and pushing himself to fly even faster. "I _do_ have a hero-complex." Honestly he had known it all along, he just didn't want to admit it. If he admitted it then he admitted that he had an _obsession_, like all ghosts did. His obsession was to protect, just like it had been the moment he had saved Sam and Tucker after being turned half-ghost. That was what had sealed his fate. He had never wanted to admit it because...

Admitting it finally meant he cut any and all ties to being human.

Although finally admitting it...he didn't feel fear or worry like he thought he would, just relief at having finally stopped lying to himself. He probably knew why too. Just because he was no longer human didn't mean he had lost his _humanity_. Clockwork and the other ghosts had shown him that.

Seeing something large and black zooming towards him Danny couldn't stop his instinctive yelp as he ducked, the large object barely missing his head before it crashed into the rock floating behind him. Warily looking behind him his eyes widened. "Johnny's bike...and without Johnny..." Another scream pierced the dead air, "Oh that can't be good," Danny groaned, racing towards the sound, and where the bike had come from.

It only took a few seconds for his eyes to finally locate the two ghosts he had been looking for, now three what with Shadow standing in front of his master and Kitty. Scanning the situation quickly he saw that Johnny was standing protectively in front of Kitty, looking close to punching someone out. Kitty herself was on the ground, wincing and rubbing one of her ankles sorely. That meant it was sprained or broken then.

Turning to see just what they were fighting Danny's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected either one of the newer ghosts or a tiff with one of the ghosts that had anger issues, after all, Kitty and Johnny usually got along with most of the ghosts, being that they were the gossipers and newspapers of the Ghost Zone. What he saw however couldn't have surprised him more.

"What in the world are _those_," the teen muttered, edging closer as he scanned the three creatures that were just barely being held back by Shadow. The three looked like something from one of his old horror movies he had used to watch. Back when he had still had a life. An oily black creature that was about as big as Shadow, and looked similar to him, only far more...sinister.

Glowing red eyes, talons instead of fingers, slightly-looking humanoid upper-half with tentacles on the lower body. All-in-all the average science-fiction monster. One that shouldn't exist either. Ghosts? Yeah, he believed in ghosts. He had since an early age, being that his...that the Fentons were ghost hunters. And then the business with the Ghost Portal and everything. Ghosts he believed in, and could handle. Believing in monsters however? Well...

He was certainly starting to.

Not even giving a thought to how stupid his new plan was Danny dived forward towards the creatures, hands lighting up with ice blue ecto-energy as he charged. Three rapid blasts blew the oily-like beasts away, making them skid across the rock before turning their eyes on him and glaring. Smirking Danny landed beside a surprised Shadow. The new Guardian of Protection had his wings flared and his scythe readied. His first fight as a true Guardian...and he didn't plan on losing.

"Alright guys, who got angry at you this time?" Danny glanced back at the two ghosts, who were just as surprised as Shadow had been. A smirk was playing on the teen's lips before Johnny finally shook it off and frowned, looking annoyed and slightly worried as he glanced at the monsters that were looking close to attacking again.

"We haven't made anything mad!" he exclaimed, Danny nodding as he continued. The two were many things, but liars they weren't. "We were just riding along, going to meet up with Skulker and Ember, when these things showed up and blasted us out of the sky! Didn't even get a chance to fight back before we were thrown off my bike."

Danny nodded as Johnny knelt beside Kitty, helping her into a better seating position so her ankle didn't hurt as much. So far all he knew about the creatures was that they had attacked the two bikers without any warning or cause, not a very good sign for him. Things that attacked for no reason were usually rather blood-thirsty and did it for fun, not something he liked dealing with.

"Ever seen these guys before?" Danny asked, wondering if they were just some obscure creature of the Ghost Zone. Sure a lot of the ghosts were once humans, and still looked it, but some didn't look like it so much anymore. Skulker and Wulf came to mind, not to mention all the ghost animals he had seen before. Glancing back at the two, but still keeping the three creatures in sight, he saw Johnny shake his head and Kitty duck hers. Oh...that was an interesting reaction...

"Kitty," Danny spoke up, the girl flinching before slowly meeting his eyes and then quickly glancing towards the creatures. At the look of fear in her eyes he figured that she had at least _heard_ about them before. Whether that was a good thing or not he was about to find out. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Just...I've never seen 'em before but I've heard stories, alright? About those...things..." Kitty shivered, Johnny moving closer towards her without even really thinking about it. Danny couldn't help but smirk at that before glancing back towards the creatures, who seemed to be inching closer before Shadow swooped forward and took a few swipes at them, just enough to send them backing up a bit.

"Good job, Spooky," Danny smirked, Shadow frowning at the name before going back to glaring at the creatures. Danny looked back towards Kitty, who was still fidgeting. "So? Stories, right? What are they?"

"They're old stories... From what I've heard the creatures were seen back in the old days...back when Pariah had still ruled over the Zone," Kitty explained. Danny hummed at that. So these creatures were _old_. Which begged the question...if they were that old and they hadn't been seen since then...why were they here now?

"Okay. So they're old and nasty, what happened to them?" Danny asked, Kitty shrugging at the question before glancing at the oily beasts, who slithered forward before backing up at Shadow's growl.

"Don't know what happened to them, but I heard that they had ended up destroying Pariah's forces during a fight one time, not long before he was locked away." The teen raised an eyebrow at that. Just how many of these things had there been back then? Sure Pariah's army hadn't been _too_ tough, about as strong as the average ghost, but they had their strength in numbers. "And there had only been about a dozen."

Johnny's eyes widened in shock as Danny merely responded with a low whistle. All four of them glanced towards the creatures, their eyes glowing just a bit brighter. "They sound rather nasty," Danny muttered, gripping his scythe tighter. All of them remembered when they had fought Pariah's forces a few years ago, and how they had just barely survived the fight. "So where'd they go and why are they back..."

"Not sure," Kitty responded, "But I do know that back then they came out of the Dark Zone, no warning, no advance, they just kinda...came and destroyed." The girl shivered but Danny was hung upon the new location he had just heard about it. He had been traveling around the Ghost Zone for a while but he had never heard of the _Dark Zone_.

"Okay..." Danny muttered before throwing a warning shot at the, for lack of a better term, feet of the creatures. The three hissed and backed up, Danny smirking. "One question. What on Earth, or, well, what in the Ghost Zone is the _Dark Zone_?" Johnny and Kitty shared a look, the former opting to explain this time.

"The Dark Zone is the dark part of the Zone, man. It's always pitch black and always has those bad vibes coming off it, like darkened woods in the middle of nowhere or something," Johnny explained, Kitty shivering before nodding in agreement.

"We won't even go _near_ the place, who knows what could be in there. That's probably where these things came from to begin with," Kitty hissed, annoyance over the creatures beating out her fear, and really Danny couldn't help but grin at that. At least now he knew that the dark part of the Zone had a proper name. And really...the Dark Zone sounded so much better than _that-dark-place-of-the-Zone-we-shall-never-set-foot-or-tail-in_.

"Well...they couldn't have come from there..." Danny muttered while shifting his weight, prepared to jump in the air and fight at a moment's notice. Really it was instinct by now since he never knew when a ghost would pounce. School had been hell in the early days, back when he had almost gone ghost over every little noise.

"And how would you know that?" Johnny asked, a bit more sarcasm in his sentence than he would normally use. Probably freaked out by the creatures in front of him, which Danny couldn't really fault him over. He was rather freaked out at the things himself.

"Just came from there," and damn if he didn't love the looks of shock on all three of their faces, "Where else do you think I got my new scythe?" At the mention of the weapon Kitty's eyes darted to the scythe before they seemed to widen in recognition, which just made Danny grin even more.

"Is that...it can't be... The Guardian of Protection's scythe?!" Kitty exclaimed, Johnny's eyes widening even further. At the word Guardian Danny noticed that the creatures seemed to flinch and back up just a few inches, although he wasn't too sure if anyone else had noticed. Turning back to Kitty and Johnny he couldn't stop his cheeky smile.

"Mine now," the teen grinned, Kitty breathlessly laughing while Johnny just shook his head and looked closed to breaking down. Really, a ghost could only handle so much in one day.

"Kid...you just aren't normal," Johnny muttered, Kitty nodding in agreement. Danny just snorted before rolling his eyes and turning back to the creatures.

"Tell me about it," the teen grinned before watching the creatures all lunge towards him. Narrowing his eyes Danny couldn't stop his growing smile as he charged forth to meet them, dodging the blow of the first one before pivoting on his foot and slicing downwards, cutting the next beast cleanly in half.

Not even stopping or wasting a second Danny quickly spun back around and swung upwards on the third beast that had been trying to attack from behind. Using the momentum of his swing he skidded back, wings and cloak flaring out behind him as he stood up and locked eyes with the third beast before smirking.

Behind them Johnny whistled lowly as he and Shadow stared at him in shock. "You know...I don't think the kid has ever looked cooler." Kitty couldn't stop her eye roll at that, even if she had wanted to. It was just too instinctive at this point, to roll her eyes when Johnny said something stupid.

At the sudden yowls of pain all of them watched the two oily black creatures that had been slashed by the scythe whither before fading into a bright red mist. All of them watched the mist in shock and confusion for a few seconds before it slowly disappeared into thin air, no trace left. While Johnny and Kitty were wondering what the hell had just happened Danny's eyes narrowed as his thoughts raced around.

He remembered seeing something fade into red mist before, and that had been Illusion Dan when he had frozen him with his new Ghostly Wail. Shaking it off Danny's eyes narrowed as he twirled his scythe before pointing it at the remaining creature, who flinched and growled...although it sounded like it was speaking a language, not one that he recognized though.

"Listen here you oil spill, as long as I'm still around I won't let _anybody_ get hurt," Danny growled out himself. He felt his hero-complex hit him at full force, although really he didn't even bother to try and deny it, or fight it, at this point. It was his job to protect the Zone, and if people said he had a hero-complex for that, well...not like he could really argue against it anyways.

He was then surprised when the creature seemed to let out a gurgling laugh before _talking_, and this time in a language he actually could understand. "And who be you...who spake with such command?" Well...somewhat understand. Instead of being thrown Danny just righted his scythe and leaned against it.

"And where did you come from, the Dark Ages?" At the growl he continued. "For your information the name is Danny Phantom," the teen grinned, feeling his confidence start to soar. "Son of the Guardian of Time and Protector of the Ghost Zone. As such it is my job, duty, and pleasure to keep things like you _out_. You may not know this, as you seem new in the area, but this is a place for ghosts only," stopping Danny seemed to think for a few seconds before tilting his head to the side. "And very rarely a human or two..."

Leaning off his scythe Danny pointed it towards the beast, eyes glowing a fierce electric blue as he stared at the creature in front of him. His wings flared as he flashed a fang-toothed smile. "I may not know what you are but I know you aren't a ghost...which means you don't belong here." The next part was said in a low hiss that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"So, _get out._"

"You will fall, Guardian of Protection," the creature hissed in a guttering tone as it's whole body seemed to fade into shadow before racing across the ground. Danny's eyes narrowed as he relaxed his fighting stance. The creature may have chosen to flee this time but it hadn't been the last he had seen of it...whatever _it_ had been...

Looking back he saw that Shadow was once again a shadow and Johnny was helping Kitty up, both of them being careful of her hurt ankle. Getting an idea Danny quickly jumped into the air before flying towards Johnny's bike, which had almost decapitated him when he had first heard the scream.

Finding the bike it only took a few seconds before he had the machine now standing in front of it's owners. Johnny was grinning as he glanced over the bike, happy it was alright, as Kitty sat down in the seat. She sighed in relief once the pressure was off her ankle.

"Thanks Danny, for all the help," Kitty grinned, Danny just grinning back. It was a nice change of pace to be thanked for defending someone from a ghost/monster attack. Usually once he defeated the ghost he just got blasted by ghost hunters. Noticing Johnny's look Danny quirked an eyebrow, silently asking what was wrong. Really...he was just getting too much like Clockwork at this point.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore!" Johnny exclaimed, Danny and Kitty sharing a look after he did so. Danny looked amused but Kitty just looked exasperated, and really he couldn't blame her for that look. "Just _what_ is with that costume change of yours?!"

"Costume...change?" Danny repeated slowly, sounding amused before looking down. He then quickly lost his amused humor as he saw just what he was wearing. The good news was that his cape was in perfect condition again, although somehow the ice gear he had made had turned into a real one, like on Clockwork's. The bad news was that he was now wearing a new outfit he had no say in.

_Again_.

"Dammit! You have _got _to be kidding me!" Danny half-yelled, the two ghosts in front of him sharing a confused look. "I am getting so sick of having my clothes changed without me knowing!" Of course it was then he realized he had used the wrong choice of words in front of the two people who were the biggest gossip-hounds he had ever known.

He was probably going to be here a while.

: :

With a hiss the one oily creature that had survived slowly rose up from his shadow form before glancing around, red eyes taking in the bare surroundings. He had finally gotten away from that accursed _Danny Phantom_. Oh his master wasn't going to like this at all...

Seeing a large, red swirling portal slowly open in front of him the creature darted through it, feeling the call of his master. Opening his eyes he saw the ornate sword that controlled him and his brothers, and the master that now controlled it, and by extension them.

Slowly slithering forward the creature hissed and snarled, a language only them and the sword wielder could fully understand. A few seconds of silence and then his new master grinned at the news that he had been given, even if he hadn't been intending for the outcome that had been explained to him.

Things were looking up for Vladimir Masters.

The half-ghost's original purpose has been to send his new minions out, to test just how much control he had over them and his newly required sword, and by extension his new power. Oh he was feeling amazing. He had more power than he had ever had before, even more than when he had worn Pariah's Ring of Rage. And now... Now he had just been given the best news yet.

Daniel had been found.

* * *

So, some questions have been answered and even more have been raised! We finally found out where that sneaky snake Vlad has been and what he's been up to. Next chapter or two will start leaning towards the major plot...*thinks about all that's coming* Oh man...this is gonna be a long ride...


	27. Coming Home

Guess who's ba~ck! *dodges rather sharp weapons aimed at head* Okay, yes...so I sort of abandoned you guys for... *goes to check dates* *pales* Two months...ago...so not one of my fastest updates... What can I say, addiction is powerful. First it was Doctor Who, then something else I can't quite remember, and now it's Sherlock Holmes. You can blame...actually...who can you blame for that... Tumblr! You can blame them for that!

*coughs* So! Here's the next chapter! And let me tell you, this wouldn't be here if not for you wonderful people who keep me going! Two of you were the ones who gave me hope that my writing wasn't complete crap, and Hollow and Que are like, the best motivators ever, each threatening to kill me if I don't update...

Well...Hollow threatened me with tears...and Que with spiders and other nasty things... So... I'm rambling, aren't I? Well, here's your chapter you bloodsuckers! Enjoy!

**Song : youtuberepeater com/watch?v=CkgvEuPpY_o**

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**Chapter 27**

**: :**

"I'm back!" Danny called out, trying not to let his thoughts linger on just how tired he sounded. Stumbling slightly in the air he sighed, running his free hand through his hair. It felt like it had been _months_ since he had last been in the Lookout and had a decent rest. Considering all that he had gone through in the past day or so however he wasn't too surprised that he felt like passing out. "Hello? Are you guys-"

Danny couldn't stop his low whistle as he trailed off and actually took a look around at his lair. He had only been gone for what couldn't be more than a day and the place looked like a war had taken place. He was almost certain that if he could see his face he would have chuckled at just how speechless he was struck, even his grip on his scythe has gone slack!

"If I thought it looked like the Torchwood in Cardiff before now it _really _does," the ghost muttered, floating above the floor and too hesitant to actually land. He wasn't sure he could see the floor, let alone walk on it... Just to be safe he would probably stay in the air for a bit longer, even if he did feel like collapsing. It was better than being sucked into a pile of what looked like debris from a tornado.

Taking a closer look around he saw that books had been knocked off the shelves and scattered around, something he was sure Andrew was going to cringe and throw a fit at. Desks and chairs were knocked over, couches were overturned with the cushions bleeding stuffing, and from what he could tell the main floor was completely and thoroughly trashed.

The aftermath of his fight with Clockwork from not too long ago was like a minor scuffle compared to what he was looking at now. This destruction was a much more sound job than he could have ever manged to accomplish on his own. He was simultaneously impressed and horrified.

"Lookout...please tell me that there wasn't a ghost battle..." Danny trailed off as he actually thought on the idea. It wasn't impossible for an enemy of his to get in and threaten the others that he knew were somewhere around the lair. Feeling the instant battle reaction Danny clenched his scythe before feeling a burst of reassurance from his lair that everything was fine. "You sure...?"

At the psychic prompting the teen looked around, relieved to see that there were no burn marks from ecto-blasts or any other tell-tell signs of a ghost battle, which was only slightly reassuring. He still had no idea how his lair had ended up looking like a nerd war had broken out.

Slowly coming down from his battle high, and careful to keep an eye out for anything serious, Danny finally glanced at the ceiling, shocked at how it somehow even looked like a mess up there. "Do I... Do I even want to know what happened in here?" Danny hesitantly called out, not sure if he wanted an answer. Feeling a negative from Lookout he wasn't too surprised before he perked up, sounds of someone flying at high speeds reaching his ears.

He was therefore surprised when he saw Andrew darting out from the lower levels before clumsily landing and gasping for breath, a sign that he had used most of his energy escaping from...something. Looking close Danny couldn't help but gasp at the fact that the bookworm looked as if he had gotten into a fist-fight with the _Behemoth_, which Danny wouldn't have thought possible.

"Who on Earth have you been fighting with?" Danny muttered, not sure if the ghost had even heard him since the bookworm just spun around and looked toward the staircase, a look of triumph and glee on his face. Still floating in the air hesitantly Danny titled his head to the side in question without meaning too. "Andrew...?"

The teen was now very much wondering how his lair had become what appeared to be a battle zone in the short time that he was gone, and it didn't seem like he would be getting any answers out of the book ghost. Mostly because said book ghost was staring at the stairs and laughing rather crazily, as if he had just trapped someone into another poem. And really...the more Danny thought about that the more he realized that couldn't be good.

Wondering if he should actually interrupt what had now become a cackle he watched with slight hesitance as he saw Tucker come running up the stairs, puffing and panting. He knew that Tucker and the others were there, thanks to the power spike he had when he had bonded with his scythe, but he didn't expect to find one of his best friends half-dead!

The teen looked as if he had gotten into the same fight as Andrew had! Formerly wide eyes quickly narrowed as a hunch entered Danny's head, once that he really hoped just stayed that. A hunch. He had a feeling that if he was right then he was in for some serious damage control.

"Torchwood...will always win!" At Tucker's scream Danny couldn't stop the instinctive urge to bang his head against something, even though there was nothing to bang his head against. He was also a tiny bit amused at the fact that Tucker's triumphant shout had sounded more like a hoarse moan.

"Please," Andrew scoffed, a slight chuckle to his voice, "Torchwood pales in comparison to the TARDIS and the Doctor!" Groaning Danny scrubbed his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding the Guardian of Protection's weapon of power. Honestly...how had his life come to this...two of his best friends fighting over something in the Doctor Who fandom... He had never even contemplated something like this happening...

He was about to ask just what the hell was going on before he caught sight of Clockwork phasing through the floor, coming out of the lower levels like the other two had. If anything the ghost looked more weary than when he had left, he had also carried both Jazz and Sam through the floor before gently setting them down. Looking at the Guardian of Time closer Danny could tell that the ghost looked like he was at his limit.

"Are you two really going to continue this fight?!" Jazz half-ranted, half-asked, looking as fed up as Clockwork did. Danny wasn't too surprised at seeing her worn out, seeing that she saw herself as the one in charge of making sure they were happy and healthy and not trying to kill each other in a silly fight. Honestly she was more like his mom then... Nope. Not going there.

Shaking his head Danny looked back over to the group, watching as Sam made a shushing motion towards Jazz, "Come on Jazz! Let them keep going, this is just too fun to watch," the girl chuckled, and really...Danny should have expected that. Although...he didn't expect to see Sam holding up Tuckers PDA and recording the ongoing fight. If he was able to think he probably would have made a mental note to see the footage later, since it was sure to make him laugh.

As it was he could barely even form a thought. He hadn't really expected to see an all-out nerd war in his _lair_.

He had got as far as opening his mouth and forming a syllable before he lost his voice again. This time it was from seeing that Jazz was actually _wearing _Clockwork's cloak. Which really, no, just...no. He hadn't expected seeing that. At all. He was past the weird level of all of this. This was...he wasn't sure what this was...new territory certainly.

He finally got their attention, although it had been on accident, through the involuntarily confused noise he had made, he also noticed that he had landed sometime during the process of his brain trying to understand what it was he was seeing. The others stared at him in slight shock, Sam even turning the camera towards him, and really...he wondered just how battle worn he looked... Probably quite a bit considering he could barely stand.

The silence didn't last long before it was broken by Jazz's rather loud scream. The girl had managed to cross the large expanse of stone floor in just a few seconds, faster than a ghost could fly Danny was certain, and had him gathered in a rather large, and tight, hug. He probably would have been more receptive of his sister's hug if he hadn't hurt _everywhere_.

He supposed the suit change hadn't really healed his wounds just yet...

It took him a few seconds through the haze of pain to realize that Jazz was spinning him around in a circle, and okay, wow, that hurt, and it really didn't help with his pain. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, _ow_! Open wounds, _open wounds!_" Danny gasped, Jazz, out of experience, quickly setting him on his feet before loosening her arms in a grip that kept him standing but wouldn't hurt his sores.

Danny blew out a sigh of relief before glancing at her and then looking to the others. His gaze shifted between them before following the path back. The others stood quiet before Danny groaned and rubbed his forehead with his free hand, looking like a younger version of Clockwork when he was annoyed, even gripping his scythe the same way that the time ghost gripped his staff.

"I...am not going to ask," Danny muttered, not even bothering to look at their expressions. "Ever. I am _never_ going to ask for as long as I exist. I don't want to know what happened here and I never do." After a few seconds of silence he let out another sigh at hearing that one or two of them were trying to hold in their laughter, and he was pretty sure he knew who they were, too.

Phasing out of his sister's grip Danny managed to take to the air, but only barely. Jazz whimpered at just how shaky Danny's flight pattern was before the teen managed to land in front of Clockwork, almost falling over before he was just able to catch himself and lean on his scythe. The teen shot out a weary grin before letting out a low chuckle.

"Got the scythe," Danny muttered, Clockwork shaking his head in amusement before carefully ruffling the teen's hair, making sure not to press on any head wounds the boy might have gotten. Clockwork was actually surprised at just how hurt his son could get sometimes.

"Yes...you did. And did you have fun?" the ghost asked, a slight rhetorical tone to his voice as he took in the teen's appearance. The boy looked like he had just had a life-and-death fight, which he probably had, knowing him.

"The fights could have been a little less emotionally draining," Danny snorted, Clockwork slightly snorting himself before Jazz popped up between them, looking stricken and worried.

"Fights? As in_ plural_?! What fights?!" Jazz half-yelled, only just managing to resist clinging to Danny in an effort to keep him safe out of habit. She was sure she would only hurt his wounds worst if she did that. Wincing the teen muttered a few choice words under his breath before looking over to Sam, who was smirking and looking amused, still aiming the camera at them.

"Wrong word?" Danny asked, quirking an eyebrow as Sam snorted and shook her head in amusement at her friend's predicament.

"Yeah, wrong word," the girl grinned, her ghostly friend groaning before trying to push his growing headache away. He slowly turned to face his sister before preparing himself to do some damage control, and really...at this point wasn't that what he was always doing? Downplaying his pain and trying not to make others worry about him...

Stupid hero-complex.

"It's fine, I'm fine, _everything_ is fine," Danny soothingly explained as he tried to look as nonthreatening as possible, something he found he was rather good at. "I got the scythe, I beat Umbra and Dan, and I managed to become the Guardian of Protection. See? Everything turned out fine." It was only after he had said it he realized just how badly he had messed up.

"Dan?! You fought Dan?! Dude, last time he almost killed you!" Tucker yelled, Danny valiantly resisting the urge to snort at how bedraggled his friend looked as he popped up on one side. He soon found himself even more overwhelmed when Jazz looked more worried than before and Andrew popped up on his other side.

"Correct me if I'm wrong...but did you just say Umbra? As if former Guardian of Protection Umbra? As in _you fought Umbra_?!" And wow... Danny was surprised that Andrew managed to sound just as worried as Jazz, he didn't think that would have been possible.

"Yeah, you're perfectly fine alright," Sam sarcastically scoffed, Danny groaning as he looked around and saw that he had only managed to make everyone worry even more, something else he was also good at. Even Clockwork looked rather shocked and...yeah... Danny had forgot that he couldn't see the future right now, so he probably hadn't seen just what Danny had gone through.

"Great...more wrong words..." Danny muttered wearily before watching Jazz enter protective freak-out mode and start running around the destroyed lair, looking for anything resembling a first-aid kit. He must really look beat-up if she was panicking this bad...usually she was able to hide her worry better.

The teen halfheartedly watched the others start debating around him about why they couldn't find a first-aid kit and just who was to blame. Sam was still recording and really...he would have to get a hold of that footage when he could actually think straight. As it was he wasn't even sure if he was conscious anymore, and if he was he was pretty sure he wouldn't be like that long.

Glancing around again Danny half-smirked at seeing that Clockwork was closely watching him, as if just waiting for his son to collapse. Which was a good thing, the teen half-thought, since he was pretty sure he was collapsing. Considering the panic in everyone's voices had spiked and he was now leaning against his dad's chest he was sure that he _had _collapsed. Great...

Jazz wasn't going to let him out of her sight for days.

"Honestly, Daniel..." Clockwork sighed wearily, a hint of amusement in his voice, "You should learn when to ask for help... Especially when it comes to medical attention." Danny just groaned at the words before forcing something out through the bleary, mind numbing pain in his head. He was pretty sure he had said something along the lines of him being fine, although considering he heard at least three snorts he knew he hadn't been believed.

Clockwork rolled his eyes at Danny's attempts to reassure them, even though he was pretty sure the teen wasn't even speaking a language at this point. Tapping into his levitation powers the ghost sent both his staff and Danny's scythe to rest against the wall, out of harm's way, before carefully shifting his son into his arms.

Only hanging onto a thread of conciseness at this point Danny's only coherent thought was that this had been one of the few times he was glad that he hadn't grown more than an inch since first getting his powers, since it meant he was easy to carry. The others were pretty sure his lack of growing was due to the fact he was half-dead, and really, that had just been icing on the cake. Never growing any taller.

Dash never did let him live that down...

"Jasmine, have you found the first-aid kit yet?" Clockwork asked before glancing over toward the redhead, who was quickly jumping over strewn books and destroyed furniture before stopping in front of them.

"Yes yes, I have it, and for the last time Clockwork, it's Jazz," the girl said sternly. "Just. Jazz." Clockwork shot her an innocent grin that she didn't buy for even a second. After growing up with Danny's puppy pouts she knew when to spot mischief hidden in a look.

"Of course, Jasmine." Jazz growled, hearing the teasing tone in the ghost's words, even if the others couldn't. Andrew, Sam, and Tucker all shared a look, unsure if they should interrupt the rather domestic scene, while Danny just let out a delirious giggle that made the two adults look toward him in concern.

The three watched as Clockwork quickly phased himself, Danny, and Jazz into the lower levels before silence reigned over them for a few seconds. It was Andrew who had finally managed to break the somewhat awkward silence.

"So...did anyone else notice that..."

"Those three looked to act like a family?" Sam finished, camera still staring at the spot where the three had vanished.

"Yeah..."

"Pretty obvious," Tucker muttered, halfheartedly fixing his half-destroyed beret. He was almost certain that it couldn't be saved at this point but he was still willing to try.

"Doctor Who is still better," Andrew grinned, a perfect troll tone in his voice as he floated out of reach of the now angry teenager.

"YOU ARE GOING DOWN, WRITER!" Sam rolled her eyes before gleefully turning the camera back towards the two. Tucker had used the consoles as a vault again, like he had done the first time, and managed to tackle Andrew towards the ground of debris. She was honestly surprised the two could even move since they were both so close to collapsing at this point.

Normally by now she would have been more worried about Danny but he was in good hands, namely his parents, so she didn't worry too much. He would be fine. Besides...watching a war between two Whovians was much more fun, especially when she could blackmail the two with the footage later.

Ah blackmail...the best thing to have ever existed.

* * *

Not to much of a chapter plot wise, yes, but at least it's a chapter. It's one of those transition chapters that are a necessary evil, but don't worry. We'll get back to the cliffhangers eventually. *cackles*


	28. Wide Awake

This is to make up for abandoning you all for so long! A 6 page chapter! Yay! And this time we have meaty plot stuff to understand! And you learn quite a few things... *cackles* So, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh, you all give me great reviews...the pain I can feel from some of them... It's lovely.

**Song : youtuberepeater com/watch?v=SYXkGdSe_SQ - Sorry guys, forgot a letter to the song...AGAIN! First time is fine but twice in a row? Just...how?!**

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**Chapter 28 **

**::**

Danny groaned rather pathetically, glad that no one was around to hear him. He sometimes forgot just how much it hurt to get into fights with people who were stronger than you by leaps and bounds. "Wait...no one around..." Danny muttered, quirking an eyebrow as he slowly got to his feet before looking around. If he thought something was wrong before then he knew he was right when he saw he was in a grassy field.

The same one from his last dream.

"Okay...dream field," Danny muttered, stretching as he did so. "Here for a reason...just gotta figure out which reason," the teen muttered, catching sight of his scythe in the grass before carefully picking it up and looking at it critically. After a few seconds he smiled as he glanced down at his outfit and then his wings. He was no longer simple Danny Phantom...he was now a full-fledged Guardian of Protection.

"_I see you finally managed to get your hands on the scythe..._" A girl's voice slightly chuckled, Danny resisting the urge to groan again once he identified it. Of all the...he really shouldn't have to deal with crazy, head-strong girls who thought they could control him whenever they wanted. He got enough of that from Sam and Jazz...and dealing with Paulina and Valarie... And people had wondered why he didn't date anyone. It was because every girl he had ever met was _crazy_.

"And I see you finally managed to state something obvious instead of speaking in riddles," Danny grinned, slowly flying over to the tree where he had been last time before sitting down and looking around him. "I also see that you're not here...again," the ghost muttered the last part, fighting his irritation. He never did like to talk to someone without being able to see them, another reason why fighting ghosts, who could turn _invisible_, had stressed him out so badly.

"_Hardly through any fault of my own,_" the girl muttered back, Danny catching a flash of gold for a split-second before it faded. Running the words over in his head, and thinking back on what he had been told so far, he sighed, clutching his scythe tighter than before.

"Look...can you just tell me what's going on? Where am I, who are you, and what's going on?!" Danny finally shouted, standing up in agitation as he looked around him for something to see. He was getting sick of playing this game of riddles, people were in danger and if he didn't figure out how to save them then there could be dire consequences. Ones that he didn't even want to consider.

"_Testy, aren't we?_" the girl laughed, Danny merely growling in response. _"What, you don't trust me? And here I thought we were staring to get along-"_

"It's hard to trust you when I don't even know you... I don't even know your name!" Danny shouted, irritation reaching a boiling point. He knew he had a rather short temper at times but now he had a reason. "I don't care if this is just fun and games to you but this is serious! People are in danger and if you don't help me then they could...then they could die. And I don't care what you say about them being ghosts...they can still die..." Danny muttered, thinking back to when he had almost faded himself.

"They can still suffer."

Silence filled the clearing for a few minutes before Danny felt a pulse of emotion from around him. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, only that it was agitated and annoyed. _"You think I don't know that,"_ the girl hissed, a flash of golden eyes glaring at him for a second before disappearing. _"You honestly think I don't know what's at stake if we fail?! Just because you are a Guardian now does not mean you know about this war!" _

"War?" Danny asked, voice coming out sharp. Eyes narrowing Danny stared around him, wings flaring through the surge of emotions. "What war? There hasn't been a war in the Ghost Zone for-" A thought. A memory. A small niggling feeling... There hadn't been a war for so long...but maybe that was because the last one hadn't ended yet... "That war never ended... The War of the Guardians..." Danny whispered, remember the name from one of Andrew's lessons.

The clearing was quiet for a few moments before Danny heard a deep sigh, one that sounded weary and _old_. Far, far too old. _"No...the war never ended... For ten-thousand years _he_ has been behind everything, manipulating as he saw fit... I stopped __him where I could but not even I could stop everything..." _

"What's he planning? What's he up to?!" Danny shouted, practically vibrating at the thought that he was finally going to get answers to questions he had had since all of this had first started.

"_You must listen carefully, Danny,"_ the voice spoke hurriedly, sounding as if she didn't have much time left, _"The War never ended, but it's about too... He's planning on escaping and trying to find a way to finish what he started before we managed to stop him and seal him... Even from his prison though he's found a way to carry out his plans..."_

"And what _are _his plans?" Danny asked quietly, despair filling him. How was he supposed to win against a ghost that was thousands of years old... "And what do you mean the war is about to end?!"

"_The War of the Guardians is going to end...and if we don't hurry a new one may start," _the girl replied solemnly, Danny hearing the age in her words. She may have sounded only as old as Jazz but this ghost, whoever she was, had to be ancient... Before Danny could think much more on the words he felt something in the dream shift, a sense of panic and urgency that wasn't his own hitting him. _"No...too soon...too soon!"_

"What? What's too soon?!" Danny shouted, worry filling him before being replaced with irritation. He was _not_ about to lose his chance at getting answers. Not again. "What is going on?!"

"_I'm running out of energy quicker than I thought... Listen, I don't know if I'll be able to establish a connection next time so you _must _listen to me carefully!_" Danny didn't even get a chance to protest before the girl was talking again, rushing her words as quickly as she could while still being understood. _"You must find the place where the Sun never sets and look for the staff that never sleeps." _

Well...that was helpful... Snorting Danny clenched his scythe while looking annoyed. "And just what the hell am I supposed to do with that riddle?!"

"_Figure it out, you idiot! That's what riddles are meant for!" _the voice hissed, sounding as annoyed as him. Danny didn't even notice his aura pulse around him in irritation.

"Have you ever heard of, oh, I don't know, _a straight answer_?!" Danny almost yelled, just managing to keep his voice level. Or at least relatively level. "Who are you, what is going on?! Just who am I even fighting!" Danny yelled, the voice going quiet for a few seconds before she finally muttered a word. Just one.

"_Alvarro_."

Danny knew that the name shouldn't mean anything to him. That he should be scoffing and asking what kind of name Alvarro was...but for a moment, just a moment, he was paralyzed with fear. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. He could only feel the overwhelming terror that filled him at that name.

As soon as the terror was there it was gone, Danny left gasping for breath and feeling as if he had just fought with all of his mortal enemies at once, which wasn't a very pleasant feeling. "W-What..." He knew that this time he wouldn't get an answer though. The dream had shifted and the girl, whoever she was, was gone.

Looking at his scythe in thought Danny sighed before leaning his forehead against it and sighing, a wry smile on his lips. "I have a feeling that getting this scythe is only the beginning of what's going on..."

::

Danny was almost certain that he should be waking up right about now. As it was the only thing that his groggy brain could comprehend was that he was comfortable, warm, and safe. Considering that those were three things that had been in short supply over the past few years he was pretty sure he was never going to move from this spot.

"You can't sleep forever, Daniel." The teen groaned before rolling over and snuggling into his pillow, blanket tightening around him from the movement. Would it be too much to ask for a father who _didn't_ read minds. He didn't care if Clockwork snorted every time he accused him of it, he was sure it was true! It was just a matter of catching him in the act...

"Not forever," Danny slurred, not even bothering to opening his eyes. He knew all he would see would be an amused looking Clockwork with this arms crossed. "Just a few hundred years..." He heard the other ghost snort before he felt a palm gently pressed against his forehead, the cool skin making him sigh in contentment. After a few seconds of the hand not moving Danny blearily cracked his eyes open to see that Clockwork was kneeling beside him, hand pressed against the boy's forehead in thought. "What? Am I sick or something?"

"Hm? No," Clockwork smiled, a tint of relief to the tone of voice, "Just a worn-out core." At the accusing tone Danny simply closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Clockwork's hand some more, almost purring at the feeling of contentment that filled him. He heard a slight chuckle from the time Guardian but ignored it, too busy on trying to figure out how he could get away with a few more hours of sleep.

"You should be better in a day or so, considering your accelerated healing," Clockwork explained, making a small snorting noise at the teen's whine when he took his hand away. "In the future it would be wise not to deplete your core to that level." Danny let out his own snort before finally trying to sit up, managing to balance on his hands and knees before pushing himself into a better position.

"In the future I'll try not to fight Guardians with thousands of years of practice in fighting," Danny smirked, Clockwork shaking his head in amusement. The teen tried to brush off the thought that he may not have a choice in the matter if what the girl in his dream had said was true. Shaking the thoughts off Danny absently looked around for his scythe, a surge of sheer panic cutting through him when he didn't see it.

"Relax, Daniel. Your scythe is propped up against the wall," Clockwork smiled, Danny's head snapping over to catch sight of the scythe, which was leaning next to Clockwork's own time staff, before the teen suddenly groaned and buried his head in his hands, sounding pitiful. "Oh, and you might not want to suddenly move your head for a while. I suspect you'll have a rather nasty headache for some time."

"You're a jerk," Danny hissed, trying to force his brain to stop beating against his skull. Clockwork's low laughter wasn't really helping any, either. After a few minutes of stillness, and sure that his brain wasn't about to explode, Danny took a better look around his surroundings. "Why...am I in the library?"

"Ah," Clockwork grinned, pointing over to the couch behind Danny. Carefully turning around, and ignoring Clockwork's chuckles at his attempts to not make his headache worse, the teen's eyes widened at seeing his sister curled up on the couch behind his, books scattered around her and one clutched to her chest. "Jasmine and myself had more research to do on the current situation. She also refused to let you out of her sight for even a second."

"Not surprising," Danny snorted, a gentle smile curving on his lips, "She's always paranoid for a while after I come home from a really bad fight...I think she feels bad that she can't help me fight...that she can only patch me up after I get hurt..." The two quietly stared at the girl for a few moments before Danny carefully shook his head, trying to get rid of the depressing thoughts and think of a subject change. Seeing a rather interesting one he grinned.

"So..." Danny trailed off, looking back to see Clockwork's raised eyebrow that showed he wasn't fooled by Danny's innocent act for a second. "Does there happen to be a reason as to why Jazz is curled up in _your_ cloak?" Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Danny had to smother his face in his pillow, trying his hardest not to wake up his sister with his laughter.

Who knew the Master and Guardian of All Time could blush.

After the sudden attack of laughter it took a few minutes before Danny could look at the sulking Clockwork without bursting into even more laughter. He knew his dad was going to get him back for this eventually, but right now he was having far too much fun to care. After all, how often did one get to embarrass _Clockwork_, Master of _Time? _

"Well at least your injuries haven't affected your astounding ability to be annoying," Clockwork sighed, ruffling the teen's hair in slight amusement. He would let Danny have his laugh, after all, Clockwork wasn't the type of ghost to believe in revenge. He was the type to believe in getting even.

"To be fair the fights could have been much worse," Danny grinned up at the ghost, slight edge of nervousness to his tone at the thought of all that could have gone wrong. He wasn't kidding when he said the fights could have been worse. He had barely survived his fight with Dan, and he had almost lost his head a few times in that fight with Umbra...

"Yes, they could have," Clockwork replied seriously before shooting the teen his own grin. "But they weren't, so we at least have that to be thankful about... Speaking of your fights..."

"I'm guessing you want the full story, huh?" Danny half-asked, Clockwork merely sitting down beside him and giving him a slight nod. "Right...so then where to begin..." The teen trailed off before launching into his story, starting with when he had flown into the side of a castle. He explained everything he could, hoping Clockwork could shed light on some of the more stranger things, like the vision he had had while in the study room.

Of course he downplayed a few of the more nasty parts of the fight, although he was pretty sure Clockwork could see right through his lies. He managed to get all the way to the fight with the shadow creatures, Clockwork only asking one or two questions, before he was interrupted.

"Shadow creatures?" Danny nodded, trying to find a better way to explain what he had fought. It wasn't that easy.

"Yeah...they...they weren't really _ghosts_," Danny muttered, fighting the slight shiver that crawled down his spine. "They were more...more like..." the teen roughly sighed, cutting himself off. "I don't know what they were. All I know is that they were bad news..._really_ bad news," the ghost muttered, Clockwork going quiet beside him. Looking over at the other Guardian Danny grew silent himself, a nagging suspicion at the back of his mind. "Clockwork...

"You've seen those things before, haven't you?"

The library was silent for a few minutes before the time ghost sighed and slowly nodded, leaning back against the couch with a tired look on his face. Danny knew from that look alone that they were facing creatures far worse than what he had first thought. "I have...it was a long time ago, though..." Clockwork muttered, eyes growing dazed as they did when he was remembering something from the past.

"Exactly how long..." Danny asked, if Kitty's story was to be believed than it had been a _long_ time ago, back when Pariah had ruled as the Ghost King.

"Pariah's time," Clockwork muttered darkly, Danny making a small acknowledging sound. That explained at least one thing. "They all of a sudden showed up and desecrated the former King's armies...they didn't just defeat the ghosts, they completely destroyed them. They caused them to _fade_ with as much difficulty as you or I might have when turning invisible."

Danny let out a low whistle, trying to ignore the irrational sense of fear he felt. He wasn't doing a too good a job at the ignoring part. "Pretty bad then, huh?"

"Very...after defeating Pariah's armies though they just...vanished." At the tone in the older ghost's voice Danny knew he didn't meant that they had just flown away and were never seen from again. Things were never that easy with them.

"You mean...from the Ghost Zone? So they like...what? Fled to the human world? The Dark Zone?" Clockwork shook his head, looking grim.

"No, Daniel. I mean they vanished from _time_."

"Ah..." Danny muttered faintly, voice barely there. As far as he knew _nothing_ could vanish from time. The way Clockwork had explained it to him everything left a trace, a fingerprint on the timelines. Nothing could exist without leaving some form of trace, whether it be a large rip or a barely there ripple. To have been able to destroy armies without even trying...and then disappear from time without a trace... "Them being back doesn't sound too good, then, huh?"

"No, it doesn't," Clockwork muttered darkly before standing up, looking anxious. Sighing he tried to force a smile before looking back towards Danny, who looked as anxious as he did. "Try not to worry too much about it for now, Daniel. Things will become clearer...in time." Danny rolled his eyes at that, Clockwork grinning before rustling the teen's hair one more time.

"I am glad you are up, however," Clockwork spoke again, catching Danny's attention. "I wanted to let you know that I'll be going back to the Tower for a few hours...hopefully some of my older books, and if we're lucky the Time Mirrors, can shed some light on this _beast _of ours..."

Danny nodded absentmindedly, wondering why it felt like he was forgetting something. Clockwork must have noticed because he raised an eyebrow before bending down to his son's level again. "Daniel? Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure... I think...I'm forgetting something but I'm not sure-" Danny cut himself off, remembering his dream with sudden clarity before paling. "Ah...so that's what I was forgetting..."

"Daniel?" Before he could forget again Danny quickly explained to Clockwork about his dream as much as he could, including the strange riddle the girl has left for him. He told him everything except the name the girl had given him at the end. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to keep it from Clockwork...he just...couldn't say it. Every time he was about to try something else came out of his mouth instead. It was like his whole body was forcing him not to say the name out loud... He wasn't even sure he could remember the name at that point.

After a few moments of silence following Danny's dream story Clockwork let out a small hum. "I'm not too sure about the riddle but I wouldn't forget it just yet...whoever this girl is she's an important figure in the former War, someone who may know what happened." Danny could see that the ghost was even more anxious than before to get to his mirrors.

Carefully standing up, and not feeling like he was about to fall over, Danny stretched before yawning. "Then why don't you go to the Tower and check things out there while I go and-" Seeing his father's rather stern look Danny cut himself off, knowing he wasn't going to be able to win this one. At all. "And...find another couch to lay on...so I can rest more?"

"Now that plan of yours I can agree with," Clockwork chuckled, Danny rolling his eyes. So his plans weren't always the greatest...it was harder to think on the spot when you had deadly enemies trying to erase you from existence. He was about to answer with his own rather witty remark when he actually caught sight of himself in the mirror, voice falling short.

Clockwork watched in amusement as the teen studied his outfit, which looked a bit more like his original Danny Phantom suit from when he had first became a half-ghost superhero. The base was a deep black as it was before but this time there were actual white boots, blue stripes marking the diving between suit and boot, along with ice blue buckles on the boot themselves.

The white stripes from his first outfit change had come back, giving it a rib-cage like effect again. Overall it was a mixture of his previous suits only instead of ecto-green the color was an icy blue, like that of his aura and ice powers. "My...my wings are different..." Danny muttered, fluttering said wings up and down and looking at them in the mirror. Where there had been white and green now there was blue and purple. The crystals as well had changed into an icy blue that showed his core. "Why are my wings different?"

"When you bonded with the scythe it allowed your original powers to become dominant over that of your Guardian powers," Clockwork explained, Danny nodding in understanding as he looked back at his wings again.

"So that means my ice core controls my powers now, right? And that explains why my aura changed...and why my ecto-blasts are blue instead of green." Clockwork merely nodded in pride at the teen's understanding. "So...this _is_ gonna be my _final_ costume change...right? Because I'm getting kind of sick of them at this point..."

"Yes, this should be, as you put it, your final costume change," Clockwork chuckled, Danny humming as he held his arms out and looked over the outfit, happy with the fingerless gloves and clock gear holding his own cloak up.

"I like it."

::

Over the next hour Danny said goodbye to the others, who had been waiting for him to wake up. Sam and Tucker had to leave for the human world, they couldn't stay in the Ghost Zone forever, after all. Danny also couldn't stop his snickers as they loaded Jazz into the Specter Speeder without waking her up, he was sure the girl's reaction upon arriving home would be a good one.

Clockwork had already left for his Tower, telling Danny to try and not get in any more life-and-death fights. Danny had just snorted and said he wasn't that bad, the rather sarcastic answers from the others though hadn't really helped his case any.

"Are you _sure_ you'll be okay?" Andrew asked, standing by the door and ready to head back to his own lair. After hearing what Clockwork was doing he had decided to go and bring back a few of his own books from the library, hopeful that they would shed some light on his theory about their foe being a former Guardian. "I can stay here until Clockwork gets back!" His only delay was the fact that he didn't want to leave Danny on his own.

He knew just how easy it was to put on a mask in front of others, and then drop it when you were alone.

"Andrew, for the last time," Danny rolled his eyes, looking more amused than annoyed, "I'll be _fine_. It's not like I can't take care of myself, besides, Lookout is as paranoid as you all. I'm pretty sure that if any enemy gets within a hundred yards of this place she's going to shoot them down herself." In their heads the two heard a ring of agreement from the lair.

"Fine...I'll be back in a few hours though!" Andrew declared, looking stubborn. Danny just rolled his eyes, knowing he wouldn't win any arguments against the bookworm. After a few more minutes of pointless reassuring the teen finally managed to get the ghost out the door and headed towards his own lair, which had been a bigger challenge than he would have thought.

"Looks like I found someone who worries more than Jazz," Danny snorted, remember when his back pains had first started and he had told Sam and Tucker that no one was a bigger worrier than his sister. "That conversation seems like a year ago...not just a few weeks..."

Absently looking around the still destroyed lair Danny let out a small half-smile before flying up to the observation deck at the top of Lookout. Carefully setting his scythe down the teen leaned against the glass before sinking down to the floor, burying his head in his knees and taking deep breathes.

He didn't think pretending to be happy would have been so hard.

He shouldn't be feeling this way. Full of overwhelming sadness and betrayal. So his...so the Fentons had killed him... He couldn't change the past, no matter how much he wanted to sometimes. It was over and done with. He was a Guardian now. Ghost hunters had killed him. He had found out the fate of two worlds rested on his shoulders. He had pressed that _stupid_ button.

Shaking his head Danny tried to push the thoughts out of his head. They wouldn't do him any good. He needed to be worrying about the others...about this creature that was after them and those shadow monsters that were now attacking the Zone. He had bigger problems to face than some stupid sense of betrayal that he shouldn't even be feeling.

"Get it together, Phantom," Danny hissed, clutching his head while absentmindedly staring out at the Ghost Zone through the windows before he sighed and curled in on himself more than before. "Why did all of this have to happen to me...why couldn't I just be a normal kid... I'm not even a legal adult and yet somehow I'm supposed to save two worlds from a terror I can't even name?! How am I supposed to save everyone?! I can't even pass Math and English let alone defend ghost and humans everywhere! I'm just... I'm not a hero...

"I'm just a kid pretending..."

* * *

You have no idea how much pain I felt typing that last line...I felt like dying a little on the inside... OH WELL!


	29. Heroes

Guys...guys... 8k words, guys. Just... With this I no longer feel guilty for abandoning you! And I cannot tell you how much I cracked up at a scene in here. Just...you'll know it when you see it. And you'll die of laughter. XD Okay, so anyways, a few things to go through so bare with me here. First, I have some links for you all! DON'T YOU DARE GROAN!

**WE GOT FANART! DO YOU KNOW HOW FREAKING MUCH I** **SPAZZED**?! Okay, so first, a comic page from a scene in the last chapter. It was beuatifully done by Habato, so go and praise him/her/they. And you'll probably see my spazz attacks on the comment page there, so, yeah...

mandyhabato deviantart com/art/DP-He-can-blush-375834120

Next we have more Hollow (HalloweenHowl) art! She is like, one of the best artists ever! I am obsessed with her work, and her awesome! So go enjoy a cute scowling Danny!

draconicghost deviantart com/art/Guardian-376156065

After that we have two pieces of my art, I know, who wants to see that, right? The first is what Danny now looks like with his final costume change. It's incomplete but I just kinda wanted to show you guys so you weren't left wondering. The next is what Andrew's quill looks like. Yeah...you'll understand that later in this chapter.

dannyandsam4ever deviantart com/art/Guardian-of-Protection-376121658  
dannyandsam4ever deviantart com/art/Athena-s-Quill-376488342

And before you ask yes...it is like Danny Fenton and Sam Manson 4ever. In my defense I was like, 12...and I had no creativity...so my username can be excused just this once! Now, take your song and go enjoy the chapter! Hopefully the song won't mess up like the last two times...still wondering how that happened...

**youtuberepeater com/watch?v=8CoyXfxcg5M**

* * *

**Chapter 29**

**::**

It could have been hours or it could have been minutes of him sitting there but soon Danny felt a tug. A gentle tug that was pulling both on his mind and his core. If he had been in a better mood he probably would have wondered about it but as it was he continued to sit curled up in his corner. As far as he was concerned the only reason he would be moving was when the others got back and he had to put on a front again.

Until then he wasn't moving an inch.

"Go away," Danny hissed, not quite sure who he was addressing at this point. All he wanted was to be left alone yet there was a tugging at his core and now a buzzing in his mind. "Leave me alone..." At the defeated tone the tug and buzzing retreated, Danny chuckling darkly. It was only a second later that it returned with renewed force, acting as angry as Jazz did when Danny didn't want to get up on school mornings.

Clamping his hands over his ears Danny did his best to block out the buzzing, concentrating on something besides the annoying sound in his head. He only looked up when he heard a clanging sound that jolted him out of his wanderings. Quirking an eyebrow and looking up Danny wasn't sure if he should snort or panic at the fact that his scythe was now perfectly balancing over the open shaft that led to the console room.

"I've heard about weapons having personalities..." Danny murmured under his breath, looking intrigued despite himself, "But this is a new one..." He was still trying to decide on just what emotion to feel when he saw the scythe plunge headfirst down the shaft, the ghost _swearing_ he heard a faint chuckle.

Right. Panic then.

Apparently the teen could fly fast when he was panicked, considering it took less than two seconds to dart down the shaft and wrap his hands around the scythe. Stopping was a bit harder since he ended up crashing to the floor at one of his highest speeds yet.

"OW!" He knew that shouting _ow _was worse than screaming in pain but he didn't care. He was alone and he could be as melodramatic as he wanted, and no one had to know... Well, except Lookout, who he was pretty sure was laughing at him. "For Time's sake," Danny hissed, carefully sitting up and stretching.

Luckily for him the War of the Whovians had yet to be cleaned up so he had ended up landing in a pile of rather worn-out cushions that looked as if they had been used for a pillow _war_. Raising an eyebrow at the state of some of the pillows he sighed, rubbing his head. "Next time Tucker and Andrew are in the same room we're gonna have to keep them from killing each other..."

Carefully standing up, and making sure no bones was broken, Danny looked down at his scythe, raising an eyebrow at the amusement he could _feel_ coming from the weapon. "What was that all about..." Danny muttered, taking to the air and hovering over the consoles, about to go back up the shaft when a bright flash of light caught his eye.

Looking down at the console, and about to ask Lookout what was going on, Danny felt himself go speechless at what he was now looking at. On the center screen of the console desk was a video of him going ghost for the first time. The fourteen-year-old version of him looked beyond freaked out...but... He also looked...excited. Like he knew, even back then, that he was in for some pretty crazy adventures.

Seeing the other screens turn themselves on Danny found his breath stopping short as he watched in amazement. Every screen had a video of him doing something, well, _heroic_. Him _Going Ghost_, saving someone from a falling building or sign, stopping whoever was trying to take over the town or hurt someone, or just him saving others...

The teen found a small smile on his lips as he watched his younger self fight every ghost that had ever threatened the town and his friends over the last three years of his ghost-fighting _career_. Every fight since he had stepped into the Ghost Portal... Vlad, Pariah, Dan, and every other mischievous ghost in the Zone...

Danny found his smile growing wider as he watched the screens flash with videos like his first fight when he had saved Tucker and Sam, the first time he had used the Fenton Thermos when he had fought the Lunch Lady, and his first time actually using ecto-blasts. All of it.

The Guardian's attention was drawn to the center screen when he saw it flashing before reading the words that slowly grew bolder and bolder. "All you need to be a hero...is the genuine desire to help others..." The teen grew silent for a few seconds before shakily laughing, the echoing joy of Lookout in his head.

"Thanks, Lookout," Danny mumbled, doing his best to wipe his tears away as he chuckled and glanced down at his scythe. He may not have known what he was doing or just how he was going to manage to save everyone...but he was still a Guardian. He was still Protector of the Ghost Zone. He was a hero.

In his own way.

"Alright, if anyone asks this never happened, got it?" Danny asked, Lookout chiming in agreement along with his scythe. Looking at the weapon Danny smirked. He would have to ask Clockwork later if the Guardian weapons actually had personalities. It wouldn't surprise him if it did. At this point he wasn't sure if _anything_ would surprise him.

"Huh? What's wrong, Lookout?" Looking behind him Danny's eyebrow quirked up at seeing on of the screens displaying a map of the Ghost Zone. Trying to decipher Lookout's confusing chiming in his head didn't help much. "So I'm guessing you didn't put that here then, huh?" At the negative Danny sighed before landing in the center of the consoles and setting his scythe down, sitting down in the black chair that seemed bolted to a spinning mechanism on the floor that would let him spin 360 degrees around the console.

He had to suppress his inner laugh of geekiness for a few seconds.

"Right...map of the Ghost Zone," Danny muttered, looking at the map before looking down at the console buttons. "So if Lookout is designed to my personality..." Pushing a few buttons Danny grinned as the map spread across four separate screens before studying it. "Huh...I don't recognize this place..." Which was saying something, since Danny knew quite a bit of the Ghost Zone by this point.

"Any ideas, Lookout?" At the chiming negative Danny sighed before twirling a few knobs. At the beeping noise he got he raised an eyebrow before looking back at the map, eyes widening at the blip that was marking...something. "Well...not everyday you get a mysterious map showing you the location of a mysterious object," Danny muttered, a spark of adventure igniting in his eyes that hadn't been there for weeks.

Going back to the console, and spinning around to some of the screens, Danny lost himself in his calculations and measurements. Soon, after what could have been either minutes or hours, Danny sighed and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms and glaring at the screen. "Hmph...I've tried everything I can think of and _still_ nothing," Danny muttered viciously, staring at the blip in thought. All he had managed to find out was that it was giving off some sort of ghostly energy... And...if it was giving off energy...

"If it's giving off _ghost _energy," Danny muttered, expression lighting up, "Then I can track it with my wings!" Jumping up Danny grabbed his scythe before shooting up the shaft and landing on the observation deck. Carefully looking around for the direction in which the object was Danny took a deep breath before stetching his wings to their maximum length. Holding his scythe out, and hoping it would help boost his power, Danny took a deep breath before closing his eyes.

For a few seconds nothing seemed to be happening before Danny's aura slowly grew stronger, a subtle tinge of power radiating in the air. A few more seconds and the Guardian suddenly grin, a chuckle bubbling out of him as he opened his eyes and shot back down the shaft. "Got you.

"I'll be back later, Lookout," Danny shouted, shooting for the door before hearing a chiming reassurance in his head from his lair. Phasing through the door and darting out Danny flew towards the signal, eyebrows furrowing in thought. He wasn't sure yet but whatever he was feeling felt...familiar.

"Never do get to rest," Danny sighed in mock annoyance, smirk twitching on his lips. Hopefully Clockwork wouldn't be _too _mad that he had left without letting his wounds heal... Well, he probably would, but if Danny could help it then his father would never know that he had left.

::

"Almost an hour of flying and _nothing_," Danny viciously muttered under his breath. He had been out of his lair and tracing the signal for almost an hour and had yet to see anything but some more floating rocks, just like every other corner of the Ghost Zone! He was going to end up screaming in annoyance if he didn't see something besides rocks, and soon.

"Oh...well...that's new," the teen hesitantly mumbled, not sure if he was imaging things at this point or not. After all...it wasn't everyday you saw a giant _blue_ desert. The sand seemed to stretch further than the eye could see, and the closer Danny looked he more he saw that the sand really _was_ blue, and not just some trick of the Ghost Zone's green light. "Desert with blue sand...as good a place as any to find something giving off ghost energy..."

After a few seconds of staring at the desert he realized that he really shouldn't have been so surprised. There was a place called the Far Frozen, after all. Flying over the sand, and feeling the immediate rise in temperature, Danny looked out towards where he felt the vaguest hints of the signal coming from.

Looking at all the land in front of him the teen groaned, knowing he was in for a _long_ search. He would probably end up scouring half the desert...and _then_ he would have to dig through who knew how much sand to find what he was looking for. And at this point he wasn't even _sure _what he was looking for!

As if things could get any worse.

::

The Ghostwriter, or Andrew to a growing number of people, was nervously running a hand through his hair and generally looking like an anxiety-ridden wreck. He had only meant to be gone from Danny's lair for half an hour or so but it had already been two hours and he _still_ hadn't found the book he needed, which was getting on his nerves more than he thought it would.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Danny not to be able to take care of himself...it was just that he knew how much it hurt to be killed by someone you thought you could trust...someone you thought you could depend on... Shaking his head Andrew tried to brush the thoughts away. "It's over and done with," the ghost muttered, sounding annoyed, "It's been years and you should be worrying about Danny... Danny..."

The boy was a good actor, he would give him that.

"Vidya! Did you find the book yet?" Andrew called out, his lair responding back with a negative lyrical sound. Each lair had different ways of communicating with their owners, and Vidya happened to do it in humming tones, like a song. "Are you sure you checked everywhere? Or maybe you forgot to check in a spot?" At the grating notes Andrew winced, making a mental note of his own to never again accuse Vidya of not knowing where certain books were. She was like an overprotective librarian more than anything.

"Alright, alright, no need to get fussy," Andrew muttered, doing his best to ignore the ranting tunes as he looked around his library, which currently had dozens of books scattered around the floor. He was pretty sure he should be worried that he was caring a little less about his books than he should...but he chalked that up to the fact that he was too worried about Danny at the moment. He was sure things would go back to normal...

Eventually...

"Huh, Vidya, what's wrong?" Andrew asked, his lair making a confusing sound in response. "Well...if you didn't send me the bad feeling then what did?" Andrew wasn't the type to believe in everything being plotted out and all part of a _grand design_...but even he couldn't stop the dread that filled him at the bad feeling that he was getting.

His thoughts of impending doom were interrupted though when he heard a rather loud scratching noise at the door to his lair. Huffing, and entering righteous bookworm anger mode, Andrew flew over towards the door. Honestly. Who would put scratches on the door to a library?! It was just rude!

"Excuse me, but what-" The rest of the book ghost's rant was cut off by his sudden tackle to the ground. Groaning, and doing his best to get up after hitting his head against the hardwood floors, Andrew looked at just what had tackled him. "And just what do you think _you're _doing?! Honestly, I don't care if you are a ghost dog, you should still know better- Wait..." Trailing off Andrew took a closer look at the puppy that was sitting on his chest, looking frantic and worried.

"Cujo?" the ghost half-asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat up better. Most of the Ghost Zone had seen the rather playful puppy at one point or another but Danny Phantom had been the one to really tame the dog and name him. "What on earth are you doing here?" Watching the small dog jump off him and run towards the door Andrew only felt confusion as the dog paced back-and-forth frantically, whining and whimpering.

"Uh, Vidya? Any idea what he's trying to say?" Andrew asked, knowing that Cujo was smarter than a normal, living dog and probably had something urgent to say. Vidya hummed in confusion, both of them trying to understand what the small puppy was saying. "Why do I have the feeling this has something to do with Danny..." the ghost sighed, already feeling weary at the trouble that he could just _feel _coming. When Cujo barked violently at the name, increasing and decreasing the pitch of his bark in a distinctive talking tone, Andrew sighed.

Yeah. It was going to be one of _those_ days.

"Alright...so it's about Danny, correct?" Cujo nodded frantically, Andrew running a hand through his hair before suddenly paling. "Oh please tell me he didn't do something stupid and now he's in trouble." At the even _more _frantic barking Andrew felt like bashing his head against something. Preferably something hard. Honestly...the boy couldn't stay out of trouble for more than a few hours. "Just how bad is it?"

When Cujo lowered his ears and tail and generally looked like a kicked puppy Andrew felt his breathing stop, knowing it had to be bad if even this terrifying dog was frightened. "Alright, alright, can you lead me to him?" Cujo perked up before nodding frantically and scampering back towards the door, Andrew following before stopping in his tracks. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait!"

Skidding to a stop Cujo whined before watching Andrew dart towards the back of the library, flying faster than he usually did when in his lair. "Never before have I more wished that I had my Keyboard still," Andrew hissed viciously, phasing through the bookshelves as fast as he could. "Foolish Observants." Honestly...his Quantum Keyboard wasn't _that_ much of a power risk.

"I may not have my Keyboard," Andrew muttered, coming to a stop as he stared at the desk in front of him, "But I do have a quill," the ghost smirked, picking up the purple quill that he had found not too long ago. The quill seemed to glow in his hands as he picked it up, eager to be used. "And I'm _still_ the Ghostwriter..." Even without his Keyboard he could still shape reality in ways that others couldn't. He would help Danny to the best of his abilities, besides...

It was a common misconception that bookworms were weak.

::

"Of all the times to run into another fight," Danny muttered, ducking another swipe before jumping in the air and weaving around the three that were airborne. He had assumed that he wouldn't be seeing the shadow creatures for a while yet...but he had been wrong. "And right when my core is almost depleted too," the teen hissed, wincing as one of the claws nicked him before he threw a blast of ice energy towards the creature, freezing it's arm.

Even though he had only seen the creatures what couldn't have been more than a few hours ago they already looked more deadly than last time. More...advanced. Like the first few had been rough copies, and really, that thought just couldn't bode well for him. Cursing and swiping at two shadows with his scythe he paled as the creatures either dodged or reformed. These weren't going away as easily as last time.

His luck.

"Come on guys...can't we just talk things out?" Danny half-asked, not really expecting an answer. Well...he did get an answer, but considering it was cruel laughter it didn't really help his hopes any. "Guess that's a no..." the boy sighed before quickly ducking a tackle and throwing a wing shield up, which was now glowing an icy blue and looked to be coated with ice crystals. "Guess...my core...affected my wing shields too," Danny panted, half-smiling as he slowly sunk to his knees.

He didn't want to admit it but he wasn't sure how much longer he would last in this fight. He knew that being Guardian had sent his power levels through the roof but having just fought Dan and Umbra back-to-back in fights that had drained him to near core-exhaustion he really wasn't in any shape to be in more fights. Or win any, for that matter.

Feeling his eyes flutter close for a few seconds Danny groaned before forcing his eyes open. At this rate he wasn't sure he would last for even a few more _seconds_. Not to mention that he was pretty sure no one even knew where he _was_, let alone that he needed help. Oh...Clockwork was going to _destroy_ him when he got home...

The next few seconds three things happened almost simultaneously. The first was that Danny's wing shield fizzled out before disappearing. The second was that the shadow creatures, all thirteen, lunged towards Danny. The third was that the blue sand that they were all fighting on had quickly risen up and formed shapes that were distinctly wolfish in shape.

Danny only had time to quirk an eyebrow in question before the twelve wolves were howling and attacking the shadow creatures with ruthless force, pushing them back before forming around the teen in an unmistakable protection pattern. "Okay...wasn't expecting that..." Danny half-laughed, trying to get enough strength to stand up before seeing a stray shadow creature lunge at him.

Before the Guardian could even raise his scythe the creature was tackled to the ground and quickly bitten in the shoulder by a large, _very _large, green dog. The animal then growled at the retreating creature before coming to stand in front of Danny, looking distinctly proud of itself.

"Good boy, Cujo," Danny grinned, wearily standing up and leaning against the dog before petting him on the head, Cujo wagging his tail in response at the praise. "But what I wanna know is why there are now a bunch of sand wolves helping me," Danny mumbled, looking around only to see a flash of purple out of the corner of his eyes.

"Ah, well, that would be my doing." Danny grinned at the voice. Still leaning against Cujo for support he slowly turned his head around before seeing Andrew, who was keeping an eye on the battle around them with quill and parchment in hand. The distinct purple aura around the two objects alerted Danny to the fact that the infamous Ghostwriter was using his reality-shifting powers.

"I'm impressed," Danny chuckled, looking around at the wolves before seeing Andrew's smirk. "But how did you know I was in trouble?" The ghost shook his head before shooting a look at Cujo and half-grinning.

"That faithful hound of yours found me and dragged me out here. When he showed up looking frantic I figured that it would have something to do with you." At the accusing tone Danny just rolled his eyes, muttering a few distinctly rude words under his breath.

"I do more than just get in trouble, you know," Danny crossed his arms, trying to look as impressive as he could while also looking close to passing out. Instead of looking worried or letting Danny believe what he wanted Andrew just snorted, looking amused.

"Maybe, but you do have to admit that getting into trouble is something that you do best," Andrew shot back, writing a few words on the parchment before his aura flickered and grew brighter. Danny just snorted indigently, looking as if he was preparing for a battle. Which he was...a snarky, sassy, sarcastic battle.

"Says the ghost who ended up getting put into jail for _controlling all the other ghosts_," Danny ranted back, Andrew just rolling his eyes in slight annoyance instead of looking offended. He hadn't been lying when he had told Danny that he was over the fact of him getting sent to jail. Well...he still hated oranges though, and with good reason! They were evil...

"Yes, well, I wouldn't have had to 'control the ghosts', as you put it, if _someone_ had possessed a little more holiday cheer," Andrew muttered back, one of the wolves collapsing from a shadow attack before quickly reforming and sending back it's own tackle. Danny meanwhile sputtered in silence for a few seconds before making to move forward. At the immediate collapse back into Cujo's side he thought better of it.

"You trapped me in a poem! How the hell can I learn holiday cheer from that?!" Danny half-shouted. He most likely would have been full-out screaming if he wasn't so tired. Andrew just sent a sassy smile back before making a few more lines on the parchment, practically buzzing in excitement at being about to use his powers again. Very rarely did he get to use his powers anymore.

"Yes, but you did learn the error of your ways, at least," Andrew pointed out, Danny not having a response for that. He _had_ learned to at least _tolerate_ the holidays. He was still having issues with being cheery but still...small steps. "And besides, you really do have to admit that the re-write was _much _better than the original," the ghost chuckled, Danny rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. "You know, you never did get a chance to read it. Would you like to?"

"No thanks, I had enough _fun_ just living through it," Danny muttered back, slowly getting his balance back as he managed to stand without leaning against Cujo. Well, without leaning against the dog _too_ much. "By the way...thanks for coming..." Danny said quietly, words barely heard over the den of wolves growling and shadows hissing.

"You're quite welcome," Andrew smiled before frowning and adding a few lines of writing to the parchment, looking weary at seeing that the wolves had only managed to get rid of two of the shadow creatures so far. "Now, want to explain exactly _why _you're out here?"

"Ah, that," Danny trailed off, unsure of where to start, or even how to explain. "Well, you see... Technically it isn't _totally _my fault..."

"Which is another way of saying it _is_ your fault and you're just stalling for time until you come up with a viable excuse, correct?" Andrew questioned, the actual question part sounding rather sarcastic. Danny fell silent for a few seconds before grumbling under his breath.

"Just because most things are my fault doesn't mean you get to assume that _this_ was my fault!" Danny argued back, Andrew merely snorting in amusement before Cujo quickly left Danny's side and attack one of the creatures that had slipped through the ring of wolves. Danny cursed as he watched another head for Andrew before the teen darted forward, swinging his scythe and filling the tip with icy ecto-energy.

"So this _was _your fault," Andrew half-laughed, the two standing back-to-back and looking for more shadows to come through. Tightening his grip on his scythe Danny sighed before shifting from foot-to-foot somewhat guiltily.

"Well...I suppose if you wanna get technical about it..." the teen muttered, sending a blast of energy at one of the shadows before a wolf pounced. Grinning Danny quickly gave a run-down of why he was here and how he had known where to look. After explaining, and blasting a few more creatures away, Andrew hummed in thought.

"Do you think it's possible that you're sensing a Guardian relic? With your recent power surge, and finding of your _own _weapon, it might have been enough power to allow your wings to sense other weapons." Andrew quirked an eyebrow at the teen's silence before Danny made a rather startled noise.

"Oh! So that's why it felt so familiar!" Andrew could only shake his head before writing a few quick lines on his paper, taking count of the shadow creatures that were left. So far the group had only managed to take down four, which wasn't really that promising.

"Well, you're going to have a tough time finding the relic in all of this sand," Andrew snorted, sparing a glance at the terrain around them. Needless to say that, due to the shifting sand, it could take them ages to find what they were looking for. "Not to mention we may not even have that long to look," Andrew muttered grimly, Danny blinking up at him owlishly. "You have an ice core, Danny. The artificial sun here is going to take a toll on your body if it hasn't already!"

"Arti-" Cutting himself off Danny's eyes widened, looking shocked. Quickly spinning around he grabbed the edge of Andrew's coat, looking frantic. "Andrew, quick. Repeat what you just said." The book ghost quirked an eyebrow, the fight momentarily forgotten at the teen's strange request. "Just, don't ask. Just repeat."

"O...kay? All I said was that you won't last much longer out here," Andrew explained, Cujo tackling a shadow that had gotten just a bit too close to them. "There's not a real sun out here but the artificial heat here makes it feel like a desert at high noon continuously. Ghosts with ice cores have a harder time tolerating the place so they usually avoid it."

"The place...where the sun never sets," Danny muttered, smile twitching on his lips. "So _that's_ what she meant!" the teen exclaimed, Andrew merely raising an eyebrow in question. "The girl! In my dreams! She gave me this, this riddle, I guess. She said to find the place where the sun never sets and to look for...for the staff...what was it," Danny muttered running a hand through his hair.

The heat was making him weaker than he thought it would, which made it harder to think. "A staff...that controls dreams, or something," Danny mumbled, leaning against Andrew more heavily. The book ghost would have been more worried if his mind wasn't so focused on the riddle that had been given to him. Being a writer he never _could_ resist a good riddle.

"Well...the place where the sun never sets refers to this desert, I'm assuming," Andrew muttered under his breath, mind racing through what he knew. "A staff to do with dreams though...and we must also assume the object is a Guardian relic considering that you are able to track it... A staff...a staff to do with dreams... _Why _does that sound so familiar?"

Half-listening to the rambling bookworm Danny did his best to concentrate on the riddle and help. As it was the most he could do was keep himself from falling over. He knew that his core was rather taxed after his fights but he hadn't thought it was _this _bad. Although...he supposed being in the middle of a _desert_ didn't really help... There had been quite a few fights he had almost lost in the summer months where it had been so hot and the heat had made him weak.

"That's it! The Staff of Morpheus!" Flinching at the loud shout of discovery Danny tilted his head back towards Andrew, who was vibrating with pleasure at having solved the puzzle. The teen wasn't sure if he should be worried or amused at the currently high-strung bookworm.

"The Staff of _what_?" Danny asked, eyebrow raised as he blasted another shadow monster back before wincing and leaning more heavily against his friend. Hopefully the book ghost wouldn't notice the sudden increase in weight against his back.

"The Staff of _Morpheus_," Andrew explained quickly, cursing before sending his own blast of ecto-energy at one of the shadow creatures, Danny looking shocked when the blast nailed dead center on the creatures head before it collapsed back in pain, the reforming slower this time.

"Good shot," Danny muttered, practically feeling Andrew's smug look as the ghost pushed his glasses up.

"Yes, well, practice with knife-throwing tends to come in hand when using ecto-bolts," Andrew half-explained, jotting a few more words down as one of the wolves collapsed. Danny didn't seem to notice the sand wolf reforming since he was too busy turning those words over in his head.

"_Knife-throwing_?!" Danny half-shrieked, he knew he had misjudged Andrew all those years ago when he had just thought the Ghostwriter was nothing more than a ghostly bookworm...but knife-throwing...that was pushing it...

"Yes, well, it's a long story," Andrew muttered, halfheartedly waving a hand in an attempt to change the conversation. "Anyways, the Staff of Morpheus is a weapon that was used to control _dreams_."

"Dreams...then, that means," Danny trailed off, grin widening on his face. Andrew nodded, his own grin showing. "That means that the relic I'm feeling is a Guardian's weapon of power! The Guardian of Dreams!"

"Yes. You most likely felt it due to the increase in your own Guardian powers," Andrew explained quickly, Danny shooting out two blasts before he felt his vision go slightly fuzzy before righting itself. Steeling himself against the wave of nausea that hit him the teen tried to keep his mind on the conversation.

"If I felt it because of my Guardian powers then shouldn't have Dad found it before now?" Danny asked, doing his best to fight back another wave of dizziness. He wasn't sure how much longer he would last out here in the desert with a nearly depleted ice core.

Behind him he felt Andrew jolt before almost shaking with silent laughter. He probably would have worried about that if he wasn't so _tired_. "Yes, well, Clockwork probably hasn't felt this weapon before now because you happen to be the one with the Guardian of Protection's wings. Those wings allow you to sense ghostly energy, which is probably how you found this weapon. Really it isn't that much of a- Danny? Danny!"

Andrew knew something was wrong when he had suddenly felt the teen's weight disappear from his back. He just hadn't expected to find him laying in the sand and not moving. "Cujo!" Hearing his name the dog bit the creature he was fighting before quickly darting to the ghost's side, whining at his motionless master before curling up around the teen. "Of all the... Didn't Clockwork tell you that you needed to learn when to ask for help..."

Shaking his head Andrew quickly stood up before allowing his power to flare, writing quick precise lines on the parchment in front of him, frowning as he saw that he was already half-way through the piece of parchment. He winced as his power left his body and went into the wolves, making them stronger, before the blue sand shifted under their feet.

Andrew grinned as the sand twisted itself into a dome like figure, leaving a small hole at the top for light while plunging the three ghosts into darkness. Turning back around Andrew flew to Danny's side, kneeling down before turning the teen over, careful of the limp wings.

"Guess...the heat is getting to me..." Danny muttered, shivering slightly before curling up into Andrew's side and practically burrowing into the coat. Raising an eyebrow at the behavior the book ghost's mind almost skidded to a halt once he realized that the teen had _shivered_.

Using more curse words than a bookworm should probably know Andrew gently felt Danny's head, paling at the warmth he felt on the skin. The warmth wouldn't be that bad...for a _human_. For a ghost it meant something was very wrong. For a ghost with an ice core... "Alright, Danny...we have to get you out of here," Andrew muttered, mind racing through plan after plan on how they could escape.

"I'm...I'm not leaving," Danny panted, shivering increasing for a few seconds before he got his breath back, "Not until...I get that staff." Andrew stared at the teen critically for a few seconds before sighing and running a hand through his hair, fixing his glasses as he did so.

"You have to be the most troublesome ghost I have ever met," Andrew muttered, Danny halfheartedly chuckling while trying to suppress the shivers. He was pretty sure that his father was _definitely_ going to go crazy when he found out what had happened... Probably lock him in the Clock Tower for a few hundred years. "Alright...I have a plan...but I'm not sure how well it will work."

Glancing down at the piece of parchment he had brought with him Andrew sighed. He hadn't really been expecting to need more than one piece of three feet parchment...but these shadow creatures were tougher than he would have ever expected. Fingering the quill, and seeing the green jewels on the stem glinting, Andrew half-smirked before passing Danny off to Cujo and standing up.

"Cujo, make sure you get him out of here," Andrew instructed, the large dog nodding with understanding before helping Danny climb onto his back. It was more like a scramble than anything. Andrew decided he would tease the boy later, when they were both as far away from these evil shadow things as possible.

"And what are you gonna do?" Danny asked, clinging to his scythe and Cujo's collar in equal measures. Andrew shot the teen a glance before smirking. A smirk that Danny had used countless times himself before he had gone and done something stupidly heroic. Or heroically stupid. Either way he had gotten yelled at after he had done it. "Andrew...what are you planning..."

"Planning? Nothing," Andrew smiled before writing a line through the words that had created the sand shield, which quickly fell back to join the other sand and revealed the fighting of the wolves and shadow creatures. "The planning is done...now I'm just executing your escape."

"Andrew...please tell me your aren't doing something stupid," Danny groaned, looking at the book ghost with worry. He knew just how crazy the _heroic_ plans could be. And how stupid.

"Like you're one to talk," Andrew scoffed, quill flying across the parchment in front of him while he grinned rather madly. It was the grin Danny had figured meant that someone was about to be trapped in a poem, or something as equally terrifying. "And with a flourish of a quill the creatures turned on one another. For wouldn't it be easier to get their target without this bother? Other shadows hungering for the kill of the ghost teen. Only one could be the winner of this scene."

Danny watched in amazement as a purple aura surrounded the nine remaining shadow creatures as the sand wolves dissolved. True to the Ghostwriter's words the creatures turned on one another and started fighting, claws and teeth ripping and tearing at one another. Letting out a low whistle Danny and Cujo turned to look at the grinning book ghost with trepidation.

"Cujo...remind me to never make him _that_ angry," Danny muttered softly, Cujo nodding in agreement before the two flinched as the infamous Ghostwriter started laughing and writing words at a furious rate.

"The shadows fought the other with ease. Surely this fight of theirs would be a breeze? But of course the fight would not end. Not even once the creatures went on the mend. This new fight of the shadows would only draw to close, once out out of the wreckage only one arose. Until then they would rip and tear and slash, all while the Ghost Teen fled into a dash."

As the last few words were written Danny felt a tug before he and Cujo were darting across the sand, both looking confused as to why they were running. Once the teen pieced together the last few words Andrew had wrote he swore and looked back at the smug-looking ghost.

"I though we had an agreement about you not trapping me in any more poems!" Danny shouted back, glad to see that he at least wasn't rhyming...yet. That at least meant he had some control over what was going on, not enough to stay by Andrew's side and fight, though.

"Yes, well, I knew you wouldn't leave any other way!" Andrew called back out, looking slightly apologetic. "You can hardly blame me for not consulting your say!" At the pure shit-eating grin on the ghost's face Danny felt like flying over and tackling the book ghost to the ground. He wasn't sure if he was rhyming because he was controlling others in one of his poems or if he was just doing it to mess with Danny.

Either way it was annoying as hell.

::

"Okay, it's gotta be somewhere around here," Danny panted, cloak hood having been drawn over his head minutes ago to try and block some of the sun from his face. He wasn't sure it was helping much but at this point he wasn't sure _anything _would help. It had been almost half-an-hour since Andrew had made him run off on Cujo and he still hadn't seen the book ghost yet.

Cujo whined as he sniffed the sand, trotting in a circle before suddenly stopping and almost making Danny lose his balance. Once the teen managed to not fall off he looked at where Cujo was sniffing. "What is it, boy? Did you find something?" Cujo merely nodded before Danny slid down, carefully leaning against the large dog to keep his balance.

Flaring his wings and gripping his scythe in front of him Danny closed his eyes and concentrated on the staff's ghostly signature as much as he could. It had been steadily decreasing since he had first found it and he was worried that it would soon vanish. Feeling the wisp of a thread of energy Danny grinned as he opened his eyes.

"Alright Cujo...what do you say about doing some digging?" Danny asked, Cujo barking loudly before digging at the spot he had been sniffing. "What a good dog!" He was definitely dragging Cujo back to Lookout after all this was over. Even if the dog left to go explore the Ghost Zone on his own he was still going to know he had a home with Danny anytime he wanted.

After a few minutes of digging Danny felt the energy spike before suddenly disappearing. He almost had a breakdown before he saw Cujo climb out of the rather large hold he had dug, staff clutched gently in his mouth. Eying what was sure to be a Guardian's weapon of power Danny grinned before patting Cujo on the head, scratching behind the ear for a few seconds. "Good boy."

Tensing at the dog's sudden growling Danny carefully took the staff from the large green dog before looking behind him, eyes narrowing as he did his best to stay upright and under Cujo's shadow. He was in no condition to fight and yet here were even _more_ shadow creatures...joy...

"You know...I was kinda hoping you guys would disappear like you did all those years ago," Danny sighed dramatically turning around and fixing the creatures with a stern stare. "Any reason you chose to pop up now? After all...it's been a few thousand years or so since the last time you were around."

"Thy Master wishes to see you, child," the shadow in the front hissed, Danny quirking an eyebrow. He may not have done _well _in English but he spent enough time around Dora and Andrew to know enough Old English to get him by.

"Yeah, sorry, but I think you may have said one of those words wrong. Cause whoever your master is he's not _my _master," Danny growled, aura flickering before coming back stronger. While on the outside he looked like a powerful Guardian on the inside he was having a panic attack. He was pretty sure auras weren't mean to _flicker_.

"He will be Master of All," the shadow hissed laughingly, "In time- Foolish child!" The others shadows hissed and growled at the smirking Danny, who was now leaning heavily against Cujo and close to passing out but still smug. His vision flickered to black before he shook his head and tried to focus.

"Oh, sorry. Did I hit you? My mistake. I meant to _destroy_ you," Danny growled, irritation flaring. This things did _not_ get to use Clockwork's time line. They just _didn't_. He would make sure of that. Having a rather stupid plan pop into his head Danny chuckled, sure he was going crazy if he was actually going to try what he was thinking. "Hey Cujo..." At the dog's answering whine he grinned wider.

"I need you to go and help Andrew, alright? More shadows might have showed up by now." Cujo looked uncertain before nodding at Danny's expectant look and flying off. Grinning Danny looked back to the shadows, who were looking as suspicious as they could when they were nothing but shadow.

"Thou wish to fight with us? With no help from thy ally?" the shadow half-asked in amusement, Danny's eyes narrowing at the phrasing. It sounded like the creatures where learning to speak modern English...which really couldn't be good for him if they were learning about the modern world.

"Yeah, well...to fight me you're gonna have to catch me first," Danny grinned, forming a wing shield before shooting past the shadow creatures, knocking them to the sides. "How fast can you fly compared to a Phantom?!" the teen called out, smug grin on his face as he readjusted his grip on the weapons and darted towards a random direction in the desert, the shadows hissing before quickly following after the teen.

The small spot of desert was quiet for a few seconds before a low snickering broke out amongst all the sand. Slowly fading back into the visible spectrum Danny Phantom, Guardian of Protection, bent over and gasped for breath as he tried to resist the urge to pass out. He was pretty sure it was a losing battle at this point, since the black at the corner of his eyes was growing stronger.

"Aha...right...probably not...my smartest plan," Danny huffed, propping himself up with his scythe before looking at the staff in his hand in slight awe. The top looked like a dream catcher that was made out of dreams and night. Holding it carefully he frowned at the familiar and dim pulse of energy that the staff sent out. It reminded him of a certain ghost...he'd probably be able to think of the name when he _wasn't_ about to pass out from exhaustion.

Feeling his balance almost abandon him entirely Danny slowly sunk to his knees, gasping for breath and feeling like his blood was almost boiling. After this he would probably fly to the Far Frozen and bury inside a snowbank for a couple years. He wasn't made to withstand _this_ much heat. "Using a clone...and cloning the Guardian weapons...when near complete core depletion... Dad is going to never let me out of his sight again..."

Hearing a long, deep howl Danny's head snapped up before he looked towards the direction of the sound. That hadn't sounded like one of Andrew's wolves, it had sounded like Cujo! "Good boy, Cujo," Danny chuckled, jumping to his feet and flying in the direction he had heard the howl from.

He had only been flying for a few minutes before he suddenly started falling towards the ground. Cursing he tried to tap into his ghost powers of flight only to find that they were...gone. He felt like he did when he was in human form. Like the powers were there...he just couldn't access them like he wanted to.

The teen's fall didn't last long and soon he was collapsed on the ground, which he had expected. What he hadn't expected was to land on an out-of-breath Andrew. The two shared a slightly confused look, Andrew's glasses almost falling off and Danny looking like he was about to pass out, before the two burst out into laughter. Cujo whined, looking worried, since the laughter was nearing towards hysterical giggling more than anything.

"How- How did you escape the shadows?" Andrew asked, gasping for breath and trying to get some sanity back in him as he inspected the teen. Some of the shadows had escaped his control and rushed after Danny, which had made him sick with worry. Considering the teen was okay, relatively speaking since he looked like he couldn't even move, he figured the ghost had somehow managed to escape.

"Well-" Danny started, only to be cut off at the enraged howls of rage the three heard echoing across the desert. Andrew raised an eyebrow before looking down at Danny, who giggled and looked amused. "Clones are pretty useful."

Shaking his head Andrew worked with Cujo to carefully get Danny and himself on the dog's back. Andrew made sure the teen was in front of him, since the boy looked to be barely conscious and just hanging onto his last threads of sanity. Oh Clockwork was going to kill him for letting Danny get into a fight like this...he was sure of it... Just before Cujo set off towards the Lookout Andrew caught sight of the Staff of Morpheus, eyes widening in shock.

"You just can't be normal, not even as a ghost, can you?" Andrew half-asked quietly, almost certain that Danny had passed out by this point. He was therefore surprised by the slight chuckle of the teen in his lap.

"Come on, Andrew, you know me," Danny teased, looking thoroughly exhausted yet proud of himself. After all, how many ghosts could have found one Guardian weapon, let alone two of them?

"My life is _never_ normal."

* * *

So...good? Not too much of a cliffhanger...and I think I had some pretty decent humor in there... So yes. I am pleased with this chapter... ARE YOU?!

Sorry...today has been kinda...wonky...


	30. Ultimate Design

Another one of those pesky transition chapters you all hate aha! FORGET YOU! THE LAST CHAPTER WAS 11 PAGES, I'M ENTITLED TO SLACK! *coughs* Anyways, YOU ALL ARE SO BRILLIANT! Habito and me had a lovely conversation the other day, of insanity but still, lovely. AND SHE'S WORKING ON FANART!

Speaking of fanart I got three pieces as a gift! They'll be on my dA cause the artist doesn't have one but go send her a PM if you can telling her how awesome they are! The username is wizardalexmix

dannyandsam4ever deviantart com/art/Guardian-Danny-Phantom-by-Wizardalexmix-37 7502294

dannyandsam4ever deviantart com/art/Guardian-Danny-Phantom-by-Wizardalexmix-2- 377502961

dannyandsam4ever deviantart com/art/Guardian-Danny-Phantom-by-Wizardalexmix-3- 377503321

The third one had me squealing of joy and adorableness! So! Here we go! Chapter 30! Oh, yeah, if you forgot Clockwise, mentioned in this chapter, was Clockwork's mentor. He doesn't belong to me but the wonderful xwocketx on Deviantart. So go look at their EPIC art if you get a chance!

Song for the chapter and enjoy! : **youtuberepeater com/watch?v=itMd1_nxfzc**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

**::**

"All you have to do is sign here." A white sheet of paper filled with legal jargon that not many understood was placed in front of the two ghost hunters. "Are you sure you wish to help build this however? After all, we are aware of your...current situation..."

"We have nothing left to lose," Maddie Fenton muttered, almost no emotion in her tone. The two agents from the Guys-in-White shared a look before pushing the paper forward, Maddie picking up a nearby pen and sighing elegantly while Jack sighed his own name in an untidy scrawl.

"Thank you. The details will come to you either later today or tomorrow," Agent K spoke, taking the paper back and putting it neatly away in the briefcase by his side.

"All of our resources will be available for your use, merely request what is needed and we will be sure to send it over," Agent O finished, adjusting his sunglasses. "You will also be allowed to use our own labs if you deem it necessary."

"Thank you. We'll get started right away," Maddie replied tonelessly. While before being employed by the Guys-in-White would have made her ecstatic now she barely even noticed what was going on. How could she ever feel happy after what had happened to her baby...after what that _ghost_ had done...

_Danny Phantom_.

At the top of the staircase Jasmine Fenton looked on the scene that was taking place in her kitchen, eyes narrowed in suspicion as she wondered what her parents could possibly be making for the Guys-in-White. "Whatever is going on...something tells me it isn't going to end well..."

Quietly creeping back up the stairs Jazz sighed before quickly disappearing into her room to write down what had happened in one of her many notebooks, lest she forget. Nothing good could come of her parents working with other ghost hunters. It would only cause trouble, for Danny and everyone else.

"I can't tell Danny though," Jazz whispered to herself, absently chewing on the tip of her pen. "He'll think it's his responsibility to stop them...and he's still not healed from his physical trauma let alone his emotional trauma!" Sighing the girl set her pen down before standing up and looking out her window in thought.

She wouldn't tell Danny what she knew, at least not yet. Maybe when he was better...but for now she would just watch. Keep an eye on her...on the Fentons and try to figure out what they were going to build. And...and maybe talk to Clockwork. He seemed to care for her brother just as much as she did.

She could trust him.

::

Clockwork muttered a low curse under his breath, the Time Mirrors in front of him going blank again. Usually the mirrors showed possible futures and past events nonstop...but with the Time Master's power so weak he was only able to summon images when he concentrated, and even then they were weak and shaky.

"It seems as if I am in the dark as much as everyone else," the ghost muttered, looking tiredly at the staff in his hands. He had been searching through the time lines for hours now and he had yet to find anything of relevance to the Guardians or this being they were fighting.

The only thing that he had been able to see was a memory, a memory of his own. A single word his mentor, Clockwise, had said to him back when he had still been newly apprenticed. It had been a name, a name he could just barely remember, that had made no sense to the younger Clockwork at the time but now... Now it may just be the answer he was searching for.

"Alvarro..."

::

"I...bring news, Master..." Vladimir Masters turned around to see one of his shadow minions that he had sent out to look for Daniel. The other watching shadows hissed and muttered at the almost maniac light that seemed to enter their Master's eyes. A spark of obsession and madness that they knew all too well.

"And? Did you find Daniel?" Vlad asked hurriedly, wondering where the teen was if they had indeed managed to track him down. Thinking on it...he was sure he had sent at least thirteen of the creatures out...so why was there only one speaking to him. "Well? Speak!"

"We...found the boy..." the Shadow hissed before quickly regaling his tale. Vlad only half-listened, not much caring for the details before he heard one that made his blood turn cold before he quickly felt the anger filling him.

"_You let him escape?!"_ Vlad hissed quietly, a deadly tone to his voice. The other shadows backed up as far as they could while the one who was reporting shifted nervously, knowing nothing good could come of this conversation.

"He had help, Master! Ghosts-"

"_I don't care!_" Vlad yelled, tiny pebbles from the cave they were in raining down on them. "There were _thirteen_ of you... There should have been no room for error when facing what sounds like a boy, a weak low-level ghost, and a _dog_..."

"Master-" The shadow didn't even manage to finish his plea before he was blasted with a blood-red ecto-blast. Vlad stared at the spot of the former shadow dispassionately, uncaring as to what he had just done with one of his minions.

"It seems...I will have to do this myself," the half-ghost muttered, picking up the glowing red sword that he had found not too long ago. He felt the power flow from the sword into him, the spark of obsession growing stronger. "And nobody is going to stand in my way...not some mythical _Guardians_ or Master of Time... Daniel will be _my_ son! And no one is going to stop me..."

As the half-ghost unsheathed the sword, a crazy grin on his face, the shadows hissed and drew closer together. They heard laughter...but it wasn't coming from their new Master, it was coming from another source. An ancient source...

It was coming from their old master.

::

"We cannot allow this to continue!" The rest of the Observant Council broke out into shouts of agreement. "Danny Phantom is a menace! If his powers are allowed to grow then he could become a danger to the Ghost Zone and all of Time!"

"I agree! We must dispatch the child before he is allowed to grow!" another Observant called out. The Head Observants tried calling for order, to little success, until one of them stood up, eye narrowed in a scowl.

"Enough!" The chattering continued for a few moments before silence fell over the room. "You as well as I know that we are not allowed to interfere with the new Guardian so long as Clockwork accepts the boy as his!"

"Then we should find a way to make Clockwork reject the boy-"

"You know the oath!" Another Observant, an older one by the look and sound of him, shouted out, the room falling silent again. "To watch...and never act. We are not allowed to touch the boy...not unless he breaks one of the Laws of Time..."

"Or unless he's seen as a threat," an Observant in the back called out, standing and letting the others look at him in contemplation. "It is of my opinion that Danny Phantom is such a threat..." the Observant continued, holding himself with pride. "Ever since he has gained his ghost powers he has been reckless and has caused tremendous amounts of damage _saving_ people...

"In another possible timeline he allowed himself to become so emotional that he turned into a monster that terrorized the whole of the Ghost Zone! Not to mention that just before the teen fully died he went into a savage rage and almost killed two humans that had been hunting him. If not for Clockwork's interference the boy would have _succeeded_...

"So I tell you, High Council," the Observant looked at the leaders of the order, a smug look to his posture. "Out of concern for my fellow ghosts and this place which we call home...there is a terror that threatens us all. A terror that will not hesitate to destroy us if he deems it so. This terror...

"Is named Daniel James _Phantom_."

::

"_Didn't...think the dream link...would have taken that much...energy_," a voice groaned in the dark, the same voice that had been sending dreams to Danny Phantom since he had first obtained his Guardian powers. _"Time is running out...and my power is almost gone..._"

Danny Phantom was her last hope...and God help her for that. The boy was talented she would give him that. Brave, strong, and wanted nothing more than to protect those he cared for. He was a perfect Guardian of Protection, and the first potential to get the scythe since the former Guardian... But if the teen failed the next test that was given to him...

Then there really was no hope left for them.

The girl was jerked out of her thoughts by the laughing that seemed to surround her, sending shivers of disgust down her spine. A spiking pulse of yellow energy blasted out from around the girl's figure, forcing the laughing presence away and causing it to growl.

"_As long as I have hope then I am not going anywhere... I will defeat you,"_ the girl's voice echoed strongly in the darkness, showing the power she still commanded even in her weakened state. _"I will finish what I started centuries ago and lock you up for good, this time. I will defeat you._

"_And Danny Phantom will be the one to help me do it." _

::

A weak cough echoed throughout the hospital room, the girl who had made it leaning heavily against the IV drip pole she was attached to for support. Carefully leaning against the windowsill and sticking her head out she sighed in relief as the night breeze cooled her flushed face.

"This will probably be the last time I feel the wind..." the girl muttered sadly, an accepting smile on her face as she glanced up at the night stars that seemed further away than they had ever been. The girl's face was pale, far too pale for a human, while her eyes were bruised and sunken. She looked as if she had been trapped in a mineshaft for far too long.

"Shame I had to get sick," the girl half-laughed, a hopeless edge to her voice, "Would have been nice to learn to be a pilot like I wanted...just so I could fly...just once..." She had always loved the breeze, and going as fast as she could through the air...but then her body had betrayed her...

Carefully leaning up to close the window the girl stops upon seeing a small green butterfly fly in. Holding out her hand and letting it crawl on her finger her eyes widened in shock. The butterfly was green true but not a green she had ever seen. It looked brighter than any shade of neon...it almost looked like it was _glowing_...

Holding back the coughing fit that wanted to come out she looked over by her bedside, glancing at her book about Amity Park and all the reported ghosts. Looking at the butterfly and then back out the window she closed her eyes, breeze pushing what was left of her hair back.

"Things are about to change, it seems," the girl murmured softly, the butterfly fluttering it's wings gently while still resting on her finger. "A change that will determine the fate of many...a shift in power is coming." Opening her eyes the girl stared out at the scenery, eyes taking in the stars again.

"A shift that could go either way..."

::

Alvarro chuckle darkly as he came out of his dream state. Everything was going perfectly and all his plans would soon be realized. The threads of fate around Danny Phantom, and those around him, were pulling closer and closer. Events that none thought connected would soon show that his master plan was close to being achieved. It was only a matter of time before he escaped. Escaped and claimed both Earth and the Ghost Zone for his own.

And nothing, especially a child who thought he was a _hero_, was going to stop him...

* * *

See. Transition chapter! Gotta admit...the Observant thing was last minute but it fit so well that it just made me smile... Thank you muses!


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